Paul Fleming, 40, was sentenced to nine years in prison at the High Court in Stirling in August 2023 after admitting directing numerous other gangland associates in Serious Organised Crime.
He was a key figure behind an elaborate scheme to flood Scotland with cocaine from Brazil, Colombia, and Bolivia.
At the High Court in Edinburgh on 24 February 2025, the Court made a confiscation order in the sum of £125,970.96 and recorded that the benefit of criminal conduct was £1,841,903.69.
The confiscation order can be revisited if further assets are identified in the future to be paid towards the full amount that was determined as the benefit of the crime.
The assets confiscated include cash seized from Fleming’s home, valuable watches and other high value goods seized by the police.
Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said:
“Proceeds of Crime orders are a vital tool to disrupt crime in Scotland and one of the many ways we can target those who try to profit from illegal activity.
“We will not stop at prosecution. The Crown has the power to extend orders to seize money and assets Paul Fleming acquires in the future to pay back the full amount he made from his crimes.
“Even after convictions are secured, the Crown will apply to the court to pursue orders to ensure funds obtained illegally are confiscated.
“If he acquires further money or assets in the future, the Crown can apply to the court to increase an order, and we will do this in appropriate cases to ensure the full amount made from the criminality is recovered.
“The money recovered is reinvested into our communities through the Cashback for Communities programme.”
During a previous hearing, the court heard Fleming was also instrumental in setting up a fake company to smuggle drugs from Spain to Scotland inside solar panels.
But his plots were thwarted following the arrest and convictions of several men linked to Fleming who were involved in the distribution of drugs and money-laundering offences.
Two intelligence-led Police Scotland operations, Operation Fertile and Operation Buggy, revealed the full extent of his offending.
Prosecutors had told the court how Fleming left Scotland for Spain with his family in October 2018 after he and his wife were arrested.
This came after a police search of his car revealed £37,000 in cash while £50,000 worth of luxury watches were also found in his home.
A complex multi-agency operation, involving prosecutors, Police Scotland and Spanish authorities followed, and in June 2022 he was arrested in Alicante.
Fleming was then extradited back to Scotland from Spain in March 2023.