A GANGLAND thug who ran a drug trafficking operation after being locked up for an attack on a rival's mother-in-law has been sentenced to six years behind bars.
Michael Sutherland, from Irvine, used illicit phones in jail to keep in touch with a trusted lieutenant on the outside - which also included talk of organising a hit on a target.
But he was busted when the associate's mobile was seized by police and had the 40-year-old stored as a contact under the name "Mick Sutherland".
Sutherland - reportedly an associate of the Lyons crime clan - had been serving four years and four months for most of the time for his part in a savage assault on pensioner Janette Connell at her home in Glasgow's Milton area in January 2020.
A court then heard how the 69-year-old - the mum of Steven "Bonzo" Daniel's partner Avril - was hit over the head with a police-style baton while caring for her terminally ill husband.
Sutherland pleaded guilty to a charge of being involved in serious organised crime between February 2020 and October 2022.
Judge Lord Mulholland told him: "Prison was not a barrier to your criminal activities and you are no stranger to the criminal lifestyle."
The judge also imposed a three-year serious crime prevention order - known as a super ASBO - upon Sutherland, which will start upon his release from prison.
The drug dealing began prior to him being sentenced for the attack on Bonzo's mother-in-law.
Sutherland communicated with others using the Encrochat phone network favoured by criminals before it was smashed by law authorities.
Prosecutor Michael Macintosh told the High Court in Glasgow: "He engaged in numerous exchanges of messages in which he made arrangements for the supplying of drugs and the management of cash obtained from that activity."
This included Sutherland being offered the opportunity to help someone "chase up bills".
He was told "a decent percentage will go to you" for sorting out the sizeable debt.
Sutherland was jailed for the violence on the OAP in October 2020.
Despite that, Sutherland did not turn his back on crime while behind bars in HMP Addiewell.
Mr Macintosh said: "He was seen to have communicated with [a named individual] from prison using four different telephone numbers.
"Each of them was saved on this person's phone as either 'M' or in one case 'Mick Sutherland'.
"Sutherland used these numbers to send text messages and voice notes.
"Officers who have listened to them can identify Sutherland having spoken to him while processing him in custody.
"Some messages he makes reference to his wife and others make reference to a watch which was found on his person.
"Others make reference to vehicles which can be linked to Sutherland."
There was chat about stolen cars and fake number plates needed for one vehicle intended for the "troops".
He also said Etizolam - or street Valium - was "like gold dust" and "going like wildfire" in prison.
Sutherland asked his associate to source a powder form of the class C narcotic.
Voice notes revealed arrangements for consignments of cannabis as well as "scoobs" - reference to various diazepam-style tablets.
Mr Macintosh also told the court how the other man wanted Sutherland to help fix for an attack to be carried out upon someone.
The advocate depute said: "He asked him to arrange for someone to 'chop' the relevant person.
"Sutherland told him to provide the address and advised the usual price for that sort of action was a "fiver a head' assessed to be £5,000 per person involved in the attack.
"He offered to try and negotiate the cost down."
In mid-2022, the pair exchanged messages about various debts owed to them which were outstanding.
Sutherland was snared when the other man's mobile was interrogated after being discovered at an address in Lanarkshire in early 2024.
Graeme Brown, defending, told the sentencing: "I can consider this a serious charge which can only be met with a custodial sentence and Mr Sutherland knows that."
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