Fergus Smith, a gangland figure, received a jail term after failing to declare £16k in his betting account & other income.
The order, dating back to 2019, followed a money laundering sentence. It stipulated that Smith had to declare any income exceeding £10,000. Smith is now 43 years old.
A finance probe revealed £16,486 in his Paddy Power account. He remained silent about a total income of £55,000 from unnamed sources. He admitted to breaching the crime order and possessing criminal property at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Reid sentenced Smith to 422 days in jail. A hearing to seize assets is scheduled for June. Smith had previously served 10 months for handling £15,000 of dirty money. The court’s order in 2019 was effective for three years.
Smith was obligated to inform the police about his income sources, including work, benefits, or rentals, and he stated he would alert authorities. An investigation started when police discovered his Audi S3 deal in June 2020. He hadn’t reported any income. The police obtained a warrant and reviewed his bank records from 2019 to 2021.
Fiscal Harty revealed that Smith spent £70,831, while his declared income was only £55,000, which he didn’t declare to the police. He received £16,486 from Paddy Power, which consisted of fifty deposits ranging from £62 to £1,320. He also received nearly £4,000 from Arnold Clark and seven payments totaling £10,300 from Raltec Paisley. He deposited £25,000 in cash via the Post Office.
Smith was arrested in 2021 and initially denied all allegations. Thomas Ross KC, defending Smith, argued that police had access to Smith’s bank hence being caught was inevitable as the money came from his work. Ross struggled to defend the other charge, stating the money was in Smith’s account, which led police to discover the crimes. Smith claimed to work on railways at night, earning money while drug dealers slept.
In 2008, Smith faced prior charges as part of a gang involved in a plan to flood Scotland with cocaine. He knows Martyn Fitzsimmons, who was jailed for organized crime. Smith was also acquainted with Kevin Carroll, who was shot and killed in 2010.