A prominent member of a Scotland’s most serious crime gang has handed over £20,595 to prosecutors to settle a court action.

Gerard McTaggart, 47, settled a proceeds of crime action which was brought against him by the Crown on Monday during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The court had previously heard earlier this year how McTaggart was a member of an organisation which has been targeted for the past 10 years by Police Scotland’s Operation Escalade.

The initiative has resulted in a total of 42 people being convicted for serious offences including being involved in serious and organised crime, the supply and possession of drugs, firearms offences and money laundering.

Detectives have linked up with colleagues abroad to extradite eight fugitives connected to the group’s activities back to Scotland from Europe and South America.

Two other men, James and Barry Gillespie, remain at large and are still wanted by Police Scotland - but officers fear that the pair have “came to harm” abroad.

At the High Court in Edinburgh this year, prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told judge Lord Summers how McTaggart used sophisticated counter-surveillance techniques when he was doing his job for the gang.

His role was to deliver laundered cash to other associates in the group. He was given four years and eight months after pleading guilty to a charge of being involved in serious organised crime.

The charge also stated that McTaggart agreed with men named as Ellis Hardy, David Sell and “others” to do things which furthered the “commission of serious organised crime”.

The charge also stated that McTaggart took possession of quantities of cash which he knew came from illegality and that he delivered the money to others in “furtherance of serious organised crime”.

On Monday, defence advocate John Brannigan told judge Alison Stirling that McTaggart had agreed to settle the proceeds action.

McTaggart, who wore black Giorgio Armani jeans to court, sat in the dock as judge Stirling gave authority to the agreement made by the defence and prosecutors.

The agreement stated that McTaggart’s benefit figure was the same as the amount he handed over - £20,595.

At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Alex Prentice KC told judge Lord Summers how officers learned about McTaggart and his work during May 2019 and October 2019. He was observed visiting premises associated with the gang.

Mr Prentice said: “McTaggart is a person of significant interest in the context of the Escalade organised crime group and was heavily involved in money laundering.

“During the period set out in the libel to which he has now tendered a plea of guilty, it appears that he performed a specific function, namely the delivery of wages to Escalade OCG nominals.”

The charge to which McTaggart pleaded guilty stated that he agreed with men named as Ellis Hardy, David Sell and “others” to do things which furthered the “commission of serious organised crime”.

The charge also stated that McTaggart took possession of quantities of cash which he knew came from illegality and that he delivered the money to others in “furtherance of serious organised crime”.

Sell, who was then aged 50, was jailed for 15 years and eight months in January 2018 for his role in the abduction and torture of Robert Allan.

The court heard how Mr Allan was blasted in the legs with a firearm in East Kilbride over an unpaid £30,000 cocaine debt and a huge arsenal of weapons found hidden in a car.

The court heard how Mr Allan became a target after he could not pay a drug debt. He had earlier met with Barry O’Neill in Glasgow in connection with a large cocaine haul.

Mr Allan later fled Scotland when he was unable to stump up payment – but was tracked to Barnsley, Yorkshire in March 2015.

Sell turned up at his door with two other armed men before Mr Allan was horrifically attacked.

He was initially driven hostage to an industrial unit in Fauldhouse, West Lothian. Sell acted as a “guard” in between the victim being brutally beaten.

This included him being whipped with a thick chain, smacked with a metal bar and left with a broken leg after he was battered with a 14-pound sledgehammer.

With other men now on the scene, the victim was ordered to strip and sprayed with a bleach.

The court heard Mr Allan stood “naked, wet and humiliated”.

A hooded Mr Allan was then taken to a rural spot in Stewartfield, East Kilbride. Sell was not present – but two of the other men hauled him from a car and pinned him down.

Mr Allan was then dragged to the top of a hill and ordered to roll down. As the attackers left, members of the public came to his aid.

Hardy was jailed in February 2022 for being a member of a gang which smuggled £10 million of cocaine into Scotland in a lorry which was transporting Belgian waffles.

Mr Prentice told the court that despite the arrest and conviction of “numerous” members of the OCG, the group still continues to operate.

Mr Prentice added: “They are still assessed to be the main importers of controlled drugs into Scotland.”

McTaggart was finally arrested on October 9 2019 when he went into RPL Plumbing at 12.15pm.

Mr Prentice added: “Following McTaggart’s arrest they recovered a number of items including a mobile phone which, when examined, yielded evidence of various links - contacts, images and a message thread between McTaggart and the organised crime group.

“Of note were various photographs which showed him in a social context in the company of high ranking organised crime group members.”