Tam McGraw: Difference between revisions
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==Recent years== |
==Recent years== |
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In 1998, he was arrested for drug smuggling although, while several of his associates were |
In 1998, he was arrested for drug smuggling although, while several of his associates were convicted, he himself was once again acquitted. |
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In 2002, he was attacked by unidentified assailants less than a mile from his east end home and stabbed several times and suffered wounds to his arms, wrists and buttocks. Although protected by a bulletproof vest, he had only received only minor injuries. |
In 2002, he was attacked by unidentified assailants less than a mile from his east end home and stabbed several times and suffered wounds to his arms, wrists and buttocks. Although protected by a bulletproof vest, he had only received only minor injuries. |
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Revision as of 10:56, 31 July 2007
 | This article is currently being heavily edited because its subject has recently died. Information about their death and related events may change significantly and initial news reports may be unreliable. The most recent updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
Thomas "Tam" "The Licensee" McGraw (born 1953, died July 30, 2007) was a Scottish man involved in organised crime including extortion, narcotics and drug trafficking in Glasgow, Scotland. One of the wealthiest businessmen in Glasgow, he owned numerous businesses including securities companies and taxi firms as well as properties throughout Scotland and Ireland with an estimated worth of £10 million. His drug trafficking activities were worth an estimated £14 million [1].
Early life
Born in the East End of Glasgow, at an early age he became involved in criminal activity, including shoplifting and burglary during the early 1960s. Although in and out of approved schools and borstals during his teenage years, he was eventually recruited into the small Bar-l gang, based around the Barlanark area of Glasgow and specializing in armed robbery.
He participated in the gang's post office raids throughout Scotland, eventually becoming one of the most wanted criminals in the country. He and the others managed to evade police for some time before eventual arrest in a failed robbery of a social club outside Glasgow, as he loaded several crates of alcohol into his van. McGraw had evaded police during a brief high speed chase before his vehicle overturned, but was arrested while trying to flee on foot. However, given the circumstance of his arrest, there was speculation that McGraw may have been a police informant for the Serious Crime Squad, supplying information on associates in exchange for police protection from his own illegal activities. Indeed, the charges were dropped and he was released the following morning after his arrest. Similarly, he was tried and acquitted for the attempted murder of a police officer in 1978.
Entry into organized crime
During the early 1980s, he began expanding his criminal operations becoming involved in narcotics such as heroin as he began purchasing nightclubs and pubs. According to Paul Ferris, another rival Glasgow organized crime figure and a rival, claimed in his autobiography The Ferris Conspiracy that McGraw became involved in dealing heroin due to his connections to corrupt police officers, receiving confiscated drugs which he sold on the streets (resulting in numerous cases of overdoses).
He was also indentified as a figure involved in the Glasgow Ice Cream Wars in 1984.
Recent years
In 1998, he was arrested for drug smuggling although, while several of his associates were convicted, he himself was once again acquitted.
In 2002, he was attacked by unidentified assailants less than a mile from his east end home and stabbed several times and suffered wounds to his arms, wrists and buttocks. Although protected by a bulletproof vest, he had only received only minor injuries.
During this time, with imported bodyguards from Ireland as well as surveillance by the Serious Crime Squad, McGraw was one of the most protected criminals in the city. He later reportedly held a meeting with Ferris, who had been feuding for some time over his allegations in his book, and agreed to pay him £2 million in compensation for his losses following McGraw's takeover of his territory while imprisoned.
Death
Tam McGraw died of a suspected heart attack at his home in Mount Vernon, Glasgow. Paramedics arrived at his home at about 1500 GMT on Monday July 30, 2007 but were unable to resuscitate him. He was declared dead on arrival at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. [1]
References
Further reading
- Leslie, David. Crimelord: The Licensee': The True Story of Tam McGraw. Mainstream Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1845960491