DRUGS, GUNS, VIOLENCE AND DIRTY MONEY

How gangland boss The Don was finally caged after years on the run as the head of a crime empire spanning the globe

A SUPERGANG boss nicknamed "The Don" who fled to Brazil to try to dodge justice is behind bars.

James White was a senior member of the mob branded the "most sophisticated" in Scotland for their dealings in drugs, firearms, violence and dirty money.

The 45-year-old eventually took control of the crime group, which forged links with other underworld figures around the globe.

This was after the disappearance of brothers James and Barry Gillespie, who had fronted the gang until then.

A judge heard how flash White lived a life of luxury funded by his mob's criminal activities.

But he fled Scotland when associates were arrested during the huge Operation Escalade probe into the group.

He was initially snared in Italy using a fake passport in 2020. But police there mistakenly let him go and he fled to South America.

Amid a large-scale manhunt, White was eventually found again by armed police in his Brazilian bolthole months later using the name Vincent McCall.

It led to White appearing via video link from prison for a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday. He pled guilty, via his KC Donald Findlay, to being involved in serious and organised crime.

The charge, which spanned from May 2013 to March 2023, listed a string of countries including the UK, Italy, Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Brazil.