Gang Members Plotting to Kill Drugs Boss Lose Appeal Glasgow 2026

Key Points

• High Court judges in Edinburgh rejected sentence appeals brought by David Nisbet and Declan McCuish over a plot to kill rival drugs boss Ryan Carvil.
• Nisbet was handed a 16-year extended sentence and McCuish received 14 years at trial for conspiracy to murder and serious organised crime offenses.
• Police uncovered the plot through encrypted messages on EncroChat detailing planned attacks and methods to dispose of the target in Glasgow.
• The appeal court upheld both sentences, ruling the original terms passed by Lord Clark were appropriate.

EDINBURGH (Edinburgh Daily) November 10, 2026 – Two key members of a violent crime group imprisoned for orchestrating an underworld assassination plot targeting a rival narcotics boss have officially lost their court appeals against their prison sentences.

Senior appellate judges sitting at the High Court of Appeal in Edinburgh turned down the legal challenges brought forward on behalf of crime boss David Nisbet and his associate Declan McCuish, confirming that their extended custodial terms will remain entirely intact.

What led to the rejection of the sentence appeals at the High Court in Edinburgh?

As reported by James Mulholland of the Glasgow Times, the High Court in Edinburgh dismissed the appeals lodged by David Nisbet and Declan McCuish against the severe terms handed down following their convictions for conspiracy to murder. Both men had challenged the length of the sentences imposed by trial judge Lord Clark.

During the initial trial proceedings, the court heard how the organised crime group conspired to ambush and execute rival drug figure Ryan Carvil, attempting to turn the streets of Glasgow into a battleground for gangland dominance.

“It was a detailed and advanced plan,” stated trial judge Lord Clark during the original sentencing, as published by the Judiciary of Scotland official record. “I have of course also had regard to the fact that harm did not actually occur to the victim. No attempt to murder took place. In all of the circumstances, your sentence for conspiracy to murder, on its own would have been 9 years”.

Despite those considerations, Lord Clark passed total extended sentences of 16 years on David Nisbet and 14 years on Declan McCuish due to the combined gravity of involvement in serious organised crime alongside conspiracy to murder. The appellate panel reviewed the original judicial reasoning and ruled that the sentences were neither excessive nor wrong in law.

How was the conspiracy to assassinate the rival narcotics figure uncovered?

As reported by trial court records documented by STV News reporter James Richards’ case filings, law enforcement agencies broke the murder plot wide open after gaining access to encrypted EncroChat communication channels used by the gang members to coordinate operations.

Intercepted messages showed Nisbet issuing explicit instructions to ensure the target was eliminated. In one message captured on the network, Nisbet stated: “Mate, I will get someone to f***ing put a tool to a head tonight… this rat has to get got. His luck is just too much now mate”.

Further intelligence transcripts detailed discussions led by key lieutenant Anthony Connell—who operated under the EncroChat handles ‘Roughdingo’ and ‘Las Penguin’—outlining precise execution instructions. Connell wrote: “Jump out, nut him quickly, tie weights to his ankles and roll him in at canal. That’s a missing person, not a murder”.

The physical hit ultimately faltered when the recruited gunman grew hesitant over the getaway logistics and fled the jurisdiction. Subsequent police raids yielded vital physical evidence, leading to multi-agency operations that tracked down flee-risk associates across international borders before securing jury convictions.

What is the background of this particular criminal development?

The conspiracy dates back to an escalating feud within the West of Scotland underworld over illicit narcotics distribution territories and unpaid debts. David Nisbet established a dominant criminal network operating across Glasgow, enforcing control through intimidation, illicit firearm access, and encrypted communications networks designed to evade police detection.

When friction with rival drugs boss Ryan Carvil threatened his faction’s market hold, Nisbet authorized a targeted hit. However, law enforcement agencies gained access to EncroChat servers, allowing prosecutors to build comprehensive conspiracy dossiers based on real-time text exchanges.

Co-conspirators initially attempted to evade justice through various means; lieutenant Anthony Connell fled to Spain before being extradited from Marbella, while hitman James Richards retreated south before his arrest. The successful convictions of Nisbet and McCuish in early 2025 marked a major milestone for police units targeting serious organised crime networks in Scotland.

What is the prediction for how this legal outcome will affect organised crime networks and local communities?

This appellate decision sets a decisive legal precedent for cases involving encrypted device intelligence and conspiracy charges without physical injury occurring.

For organized crime groups operating across Glasgow and the wider UK, the High Court’s refusal to reduce these long sentences signals that planning violence via encrypted channels carries severe, non-negotiable custodial penalties. Criminal networks can no longer rely on technical loopholes or the non-execution of a hit to mitigate length of imprisonment upon appeal.

For local communities and law enforcement, the finality of these sentences permanently dismantles a major leadership structure within regional illicit drug markets. It reinforces public confidence in judicial handling of complex gangland operations, providing a clear deterrent against organized crime factions seeking to control urban turf through violence.