Fourth member of Scouse Jack gang jailed for flooding Highlands with heroin and cocaine

The fourth member of a notorious organised crime gang based in Merseyside and selling drugs in the Highlands for years denied being ‘Scouse Jack’ although he bore the same Christian name of the drug baron.

Jack Horgan of Boundary Farm Road, who is currently serving a jail sentence, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court represented by his solicitor, David Patterson, who confirmed his 26 year old client was admitting two offences of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin, between March 9, 2021 and June 2, 2021.

He was jailed for 21 months backdated to June 14 this year.

A warrant had been issued for his arrest months earlier.

Three other members of the group which has been flooding the Highlands with strong drugs since September, 2019 have already been sentenced.

Liam Riley, (28), of Widnes in Cheshire was said to be ‘at the top end of the criminal enterprise’ was jailed for 43 months with 26 year old Carl Masher from Liverpool being jailed for 21 months also.

A vulnerable Inverness man, Christopher Gow from Inverness was placed under three years of social work supervision.

The 41 year old was recruited by the gang to help them sell drugs and gather payment in the Highlands,

All four were arrested after an intelligence-led police operation which began on March 9, 2021 and when Gow's home address was raided by police on June 2, 2021, £5460 in cash and 111 wraps of heroin and cocaine were recovered as well as mobile phones.

This led to the arrest of Riley whose fingerprints were found on the drug wraps.

At a previous court hearing, fiscal depute David Morton detailed the sophistication of the drug dealing system used by Scouse Jack to bring heroin and cocaine to Inverness, Nairn and Aviemore.

He also explained how intelligence gathering and tracking of mobile phones by police played a vital role in trapping the pushers.

Mr Morton told the court that as far back as September 2019, the organised crime group was first seen to operate in and around Inverness selling heroin and cocaine.

On March 9, 2021 police received intelligence that a vehicle containing members of Scouse Jack was travelling up the A9 to Inverness and was ‘potentially carrying drugs’.

The vehicle was stopped by road policing officers near Kingussie, and persons were inside having travelled from Liverpool.

Mr Morton said: “The group operated a dealing line whereby customers would text the line seeking to purchase drugs. Messages would be exchanged giving the places and process required for obtaining the drugs.”

He added that the dealing line would also message to advise customers when they were “open for business” in and around Inverness.

“Messages would be sent in bulk to numerous people at a time,” said Mr Morton, with various handsets being used to operate the Scouse Jack dealing line, with drug telecommunications continuing on an almost daily basis.

Mr Patterson told the court: "He does have an unfortunate name but he is not THE Scouse Jack.

“His schedule of previous convictions makes sad reading as he first appears as a 14 year old having been in the care system and it is perhaps unsurprising that he has made poor decisions.

"He has been using drugs to blot out various aspects of his life and it escalated dramatically in 2020 with the death of his father.

“He was couriering the drugs but he has tried to distance himself from negative influences."