A FORMER top gangbuster reckons EncroChat was like a passport for hoods looking to do business with underworld kingpins like Scotland’s No1 hood Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson.

It comes as we reveal more than a DOZEN of the sinister secret handles some of the country’s worst criminals used to orchestrate their murky plans. 

We can reveal more than DOZEN Encrochat handles used by Scotland’s hoodsCredit: Alamy

Graeme Pearson, former head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, says gangsters like Lee Docherty would be drawn to powerful figures at the very top of Scotland’s criminal pyramid.

And having an EncroChat phone and handle would have opened doors to a narcotics supply network like those run by Stevenson’s gang.

He said: “Criminals get to know of each other’s presence through the grapevine.

“And somebody like Stevenson acts like a magnet as they draw people to them to do business.

(L-R Top) Lee Docherty, Lloyd Cross (L-R Bottom) Paul Bowes, Gerry Carbin and (R) Jamie Stevenson

(L-R Top) Christopher McKellar, Daniel Gillan (L-R Bottom) Brendan Gillan, Lewis Connor

“And up until its demise, EncroChat operated almost as a passport that gave you credibility that you’d bought into a system that’s only available to top notchers.

“So the fact that you have EncroChat is your sort of pass to get into the company.

“And that’s what made Stevenson so very central to what goes on in Scotland for a period of time before he’s arrested. And will probably continue even in prison.”

The EncroChat Handles:

Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson – BigTastey and Elusiveale

Lloyd Cross – ShaggyGoat

David Bilsland – TrendyMutant

Paul Bowes – HollowButter and SilverJaguar

Gerry Carbin – LucidFudge and Specialsmith

Lewis Connor – LivingSilver

Lee Docherty – Renegadeball or Goldenshark

Ian Millar – SarcasticFlamingo

Brendan Gillan – Unrealegg

Daniel Gillan – WarmHail

Christopher McKellar – Mrrr-celtic

John Gurie – SurrealKey and AquaticRing

He went on to hail the crime fighters who have capitalised on the vast hail of evidence gathered in the sting that brought down hoods all over Europe.

But also noted the challenges facing Scotland’s jails where hundreds of crime clan hoods are caged amid the country’s ongoing gang wars.

He added: “The first point is that EncroChat has been an absolute goldmine for law enforcement

“It’s been a gift and the ability of those who deal with the analysis of intelligence, they’re the ones who have been absolutely foremost in bringing all this to pass – and that’s been a great thing.

“The other thing that always comes to my mind too is that with the outcomes from EncroChat it’s put a huge pressure on the system.

“The police got the dividends out of it, but then passed it on to the courts – particularly the High Court.

“And thereafter, the ones who bear the brunt of all this are the Scottish Prison Service and the prison service internationally.”

Meanwhile, we can reveal how Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson used EncroChat to order a lackey to carry-out firebombings on a beauty salon linked to an underworld rival.

The gangland Mr Big used the handle BigTastey when giving instructions for the attack to Lewis Connor, 28 — known as LivingSilver on the encrypted phone network.

Connor set ablaze CeCe’s salon in Hamilton, which was run by the partner of a man who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Encro texts showed Connor was told to carry out the hit by Stevenson in May 2020.

Connor, of Barrhead, Renfrewshire, was caged for three years in July 2024  for the arson attack in Hamilton and another near Falkirk.

The thug is also linked through a mutual associate to gang turf war instigator Ross ‘Miami’ McGill, 31

Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson used EncroChat to order a lackey to firebomb a salon linked to a rivalCredit: Pressteam Scotland Ltd

Former top cop Graeme Pearson says EncrcoChat was like a passport for hoodsCredit: John Gunion – The Sun Glasgow

Former Union Bears chief McGill, 31, launched a revenge mission earlier this year on associates of Mark Richardson who he blames for a cocaine rip-off involving fake cash.

McGill fled Scotland in 2022 for Spain then Dubai when facing a court case linked to the Encrochat sting.

He was nicked in the UAE last month but authorities here say they have no information about his arrests or whether he has since been released.

His current whereabouts remains unclear.