Crime lord Jamie Stevenson snared after pal's brothel bender using gang credit card

The gangster is said to have been brought to justice after his pal slipped up while on the run.

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04:30, 27 SEP 2024

Feared crime lord Jamie Stevenson was snared by cops after a blundering pal used an emergency credit card during a boozy trip to a brothel, it's been claimed.

Stevenson - who is known as "Iceman" - and an associate were arrested in the Netherlands while on the run together. And sources say police only finally got their men because Stevenson's fellow fugitive used a bank card which police were monitoring.

The card was marked 'for emergencies only' by Stevenson, as a means to fund a possible escape if the net was closing in quick. But police also had a marker on the card, meaning they would be alerted with a real time location, date and time when it was used.

Stevenson admitted being involved in a plot to import £76million cocaine last week — Jamie Stevenson admitted being involved in a plot to import £76million of cocaine (Image: Police Scotland.)

And sources say the other runaway used it while drunk and visiting a brothel in Amsterdam, which is famous for its red light districts. The pair are understood to have been hiding out in the country together for a number of months.

Police are said to have hit a brick wall in trying to locate Stevenson, who is also known as "Bull" and previously had a flat in Amsterdam, when the use of the bank card proved to be the breakthrough they needed.

An underworld source said: "Their bank cards were literally marked - officers had placed markers on them meaning they would get alerted if and when a card was used with a real time location.

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"The talk is that this card was Stevenson's and marked 'for emergencies only'. It was basically a last resort for the gang if they needed to escape at short notice.

"They could either draw money from it and use the cash to help them disappear again, or they could give it to someone to use as a decoy, making police think they were in one place when they were actually in another.

"But the other guy went on a bender and took it to a brothel with him. When he used it, the police finally had an accurate location for them and used it to track them down."

A police source added: "When tracking people like this you get a list of all their bank cards and get alerts set up so that when the cards are used, you get a 'ping'. The ping gives the exact date, time and location the card was used.

"This card was pinged, allowing police to go to the location and check CCTV. From the CCTV they were able to identify people of interest and track their movements to and from that location.

"They then set up surveillance, and through the surveillance they tracked Stevenson and the other guy down. The use of the card literally led them right to him."

Stevenson was jogging in a park in the country when he was arrested in February 2022.

Following his arrest, Tim Mairs, Assistant Chief Constable with Police Scotland, said: "I am grateful for the assistance of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and our international law enforcement partners."

At the time, National Crime Agency Regional Head of Investigation for Scotland, Gerry McLean, said: “Stevenson was arrested while jogging and was clearly trying to keep himself fit for a life on the run.

"Any arrest of a fugitive over extremely serious allegations is a great result. The Agency has been working endlessly with Police Scotland and international partners to trace Stevenson and return him to the UK.

"It does not matter where fugitives go, we will work with partners like the Dutch National Police who’ve provided superb help, to trace and arrest them."

Once back in the UK, Stevenson admitted orchestrating an international drug ring which trafficked cocaine worth £76million into the UK, hidden in shipments of bananas. The 59-year-old is due to be sentenced next week.