PROSECUTORS have seized just £1 from a prisoner who made almost £40,000 running a drug smuggling operation from three jails.

Craig Sutton, of Renfrew, coined in cash through his illicit criminal enterprise from HMP Perth, HMP Edinburgh and HMP Addiewell.

The High Court in Glasgow previously heard how 38-year-old Sutton oversaw a scam between February 2015 and July 2017 in which dealers on the outside supplied heroin and ecstasy to customers.

And, at a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh today, Crown lawyers and his defence team agreed that he pocketed £39,625.

However, it was stated that investigators had concluded none of that sum was available for recovery at this time.

Judge Lord Tyre was also told that prosecutors and defence lawyers were agreed that Sutton should hand over £1 under proceeds of crime legislation.

Sutton had admitted drug dealing charges at the High Court in Glasgow in September 2020.

The court heard how he was caught after mentioning his criminal activities in letters and speaking about it openly on prison phones.

The offences only came to light in July 2017, at HMP Addiewell, when a fire alarm went off in a neighbouring cell to Sutton.

Prosecutor Mark McGuire said: “For safety’s sake, prison officers began checking the surrounding cells, including Mr Sutton’s, which had been locked from the inside.

“On unlocking the door, they observed a number of people in the cell, including the accused. A smell of burning was noticed and they were ordered out and the cell searched and a small quantity of heroin was found and drug-related paraphernalia and a suspected tick list.”

Sutton’s cell was sealed and fully searched by police on September 8, 2017, and this revealed dozens of letters addressed to him from other prisoners.

There was also an unsent letter written by Sutton in which he set out his plan to smuggle drugs into prison.

Mr McGuire said: “This would be by arranging for third parties on the outside to conceal multiple quantities of drugs internally, commit high-value shoplifting and claim to be of no fixed abode so that they would be remanded in custody.”

Police also seized recordings of all calls made or received by Sutton since he was jailed in 2014.

Co-accused Natalie Williamson, 30, also from Renfrew, admitted allowing her bank account to be used to deposit £30,000 of criminal money.

Mr McGuire added: “Those recordings included frequent discussions between the accused Sutton and the accused Williamson, during which Sutton made frequent reference to his trafficking in heroin and ecstasy inside and outside of the prison.

“Discussions also took place between the two regarding the use of Williamson’s bank account to receive the money owed to Sutton for drugs.

“Regular mention was made of drugs which he had either supplied or arranged to have supplied and for which payment had not been made.

“The money received into Williamson’s account make it clear the drugs trafficked by Sutton were worth at least £30,000.”

Sutton was jailed for five years and three months for the offences.

At today's hearing, defence advocate Jennifer Bain agreed that Sutton had made £39,625 from his drug smuggling operation.

Although he has been ordered to hand over just £1, prosecutors can return to court to seize more cash if investigators manage to discover he has other assets he obtained from wrongdoing.