Crime gang 'manager' fled from police at Glasgow Fort
Martin Murphy has pleaded guilty to a charge of being involved in serious organised crime.
Last updated 3rd Sep 2024
The High Court in Glasgow's heard a crime boss escaped from police at high speed in his Range Rover after a supermarket car park sting.
Martin Murphy had been caught in a cocaine handover outside Morrisons at The Fort shopping complex in Glasgow during the covid lockdown on April 18 2020.
Watching detectives approached but the 45 year-old raced out the car park.
Prosecutor Alan Parfery told the High Court in Glasgow: "Murphy drove away at speed and on the wrong side of the road narrowly avoiding other vehicles."
He also ditched a £90,000 cocaine haul en-route from the 4x4.
The man who Murphy had met - football scout Jordan McKinlay - was stopped in his van in the car park.
A total of £452,000 of cocaine was found in a secret compartment of the vehicle.
McKinlay was jailed for three years and nine month in November 2022 for his role in the drug trafficking.
Mr Parfery told how Murphy had at the time been using the EncroChat phone network favoured by criminals before it was hacked by law authorities.
After the supermarket bust, he texted an associate how "something happened" and the "boy had been pulled" by police.
Murphy's home in Uddingston , Lanarkshire was raided in October 2021 as part of the probe.
Large bundles of dirty money was found wrapped in elastic bands.
A total of around £153,000 and more than 7,000 Euros was seized.
The examination of a phone also linked Murphy to drug trafficking including photos of cash and blocks of cocaine.
Mr Parfery: "In summary, he is assessed at being managerial level within the serious organised crime group with involvement in large scale levels of money and drug transfers."
The advocate depute added Murphy had also raked in a "financial benefit" for his vital role in the mob.
Murphy - via his KC Tony Graham - pleaded guilty to a charge of being involved in serious organised crime.
Murphy had been on bail, but he was remanded in custody by judge Lady Hood as sentencing was deferred for reports until a later date.