James Boyle, of Meldrum Road, is awaiting sentence for his role in the multi-million pound conspiracy that was smashed after a three-year investigation.

Boyle (47), one of two Fife men involved, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and C drugs.

Lancashire Police spent four years picking apart the smuggling ring which involved the import of cocaine from Amsterdam and Argentina to the UK.

A date for sentencing is to be set today (Thursday) at Liverpool Crown Court, nearly four years after the investigation codenamed 'Operation Greengage'.

Police identified Preston criminal, Ivan Hue, as being at the centre of a network of couriers which included family members and friends taking money to Amsterdam to pay for drugs which would then be smuggled into the UK.

However, as they monitored their suspect, they soon learned the operation was on a far greater scale than investigating officers had previously imagined.

Hue and his helpers bought four Fiat Multiplas in late 2006, which officers tracked to the north of England and Arbroath.

The people carriers made several trips to and from Amsterdam with money changing hands at both ends. The cars were also used to smuggle drugs and guns into the UK.

As the investigation intensified, it became clear to officers that an extensive organised crime gang was at work across England, Scotland and mainland Europe.

Further, it emerged that drugs officers in Scotland were already looking into one part of the conspiracy.

A Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency investigation focused on two of the men, who were paying eastern European men to fly cocaine into the UK.

Meanwhile, police in Holland were using wiretaps to listen to calls as part of a separate operation.

These revealed that couriers, mainly from eastern Europe, were being used to import cocaine from South America to the UK.

Police soon learned the drug mules were landing at Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, where they would be picked up and taken to houses or hotels in Tayside or Fife.

Detective Chief Superintendent Allan Moffat, crime co-ordinator at the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, said: "We welcome justice being served on the individuals involved in this criminal network.

"These individuals were ruthless in their approach and the use of various risky methods to transport their illegal drugs demonstrates how determined they were to further their power and profit.

"We have been working in partnership with Lancashire Constabulary over several months to piece together the movements and activities of this crime group and the outcome of this investigation should act as a serious warning to others involved in organised crime."