A man was jailed after using encrypted messaging to sell firearms and drugs, with police seizing devices containing videos, images and messages.
A man who recorded himself with deadly firearms he was attempting to sell has been sentenced following a National Crime Agency and Police Scotland investigation.
Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership – a specialist team comprising officers from the NCA and Police Scotland – arrested Allan Hughes, 30, from Clydebank in June 2024 having seized a number of devices from him a month earlier.
Thousands of messages on encrypted platforms were contained within one of his devices, including images and videos of numerous firearms, ammunition and drugs, all of which he was attempting to sell.
Officers arrested Hughes and another individual when they exchanged packages in June 2024 containing £15,000 in cash and half a kilo of heroin.
Hughes subsequently pleaded guilty to a charge of being involved in serious organised crime at the High Court in Glasgow in November 2025.
He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison at the same court today. He will also be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) for three years.
Hughes is already imprisoned for other drug related offences.
Philip Marshall, Regional Head of Investigations at the NCA, said:
“Allan Hughes was a facilitator for illegal drugs and firearms with direct involvement in the sale and movement of these illegal commodities. “He used a number of encrypted messaging apps offering firearms and ammunition to potential customers.
The criminal use of firearms in Scotland relies on people like Hughes who sell guns to the highest bidder without any consideration for the risks involved or the threat to the public.
The NCA will continue to work with our Police Scotland partners to stop career criminals like Hughes who bring such danger to our communities.”
Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.
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