Drug trafficker 'bet more than £1m'

Bryceland was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh

A drug trafficker who was caught after gambling more than £1m at the bookies has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

One betting firm alerted police to George Bryceland's activities under rules designed to combat money-laundering from the proceeds of crime.

However, his trial heard that detectives had already mounted an undercover operation to monitor the 41-year-old.

We called him The Quiet Man. He did not show much emotion

Erna Wilson
Manageress

They seized cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamine worth a total of £180,000 from cars linked to Bryceland, who is also known as George Nelson.

Bryceland, of Haddington Crescent, Dundee, was convicted of being concerned in the supply of the drugs after a month-long trial.

He was also found guilty of driving dangerously on 2 November last year in the city during a police chase which resulted in his arrest.

Bryceland later abandoned his vehicle, but was found hiding under a bush by a police dog.

He was banned from driving for five years by Lord Brodie at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Suspicions raised

The trial heard that Bryceland was well known in Dundee's betting shops.

He would regularly bet two or three thousand pounds on a horse, making as many as 10 such wagers on some days.

A security manager for Ladbrokes said police had been called in following suspicions about bets placed at a branch in Dundee.

Patricia Cook said that one punter laid bets worth a total of £1,135,278 between 27 August and 1 November last year. The gambler collected winnings of £1,029,745.

Bryceland lost more than £100,000 in one bookies

She said it was very unusual for a single customer to stake more than £1m.

"It is the total amount of the loss which is very significant over a short period of time," she told the trial.

Miss Cook said that in her experience that kind of money usually came from "illicit sources".

The figures were passed to police because of a legal requirement to notify them under anti-money laundering legislation.

The court also heard that Bryceland bet a total of £82,300 during three days at a branch of William Hill in October last year, receiving back £74,828 in winnings.

Counterfeit clothing

Manageress Erna Wilson said: "The system we have to monitor people who put on large bets needs a name so we called him The Quiet Man.

"He did not show much emotion."

Bryceland, who denied the charges, claimed that he made money from buying and selling cars and dealing in counterfeit designer clothing.

He also said that he was a successful gambler and claimed that others were responsible for the drugs which were found.