A former Celtic youth player who was found transporting nearly £400,000 worth of cash in the back of a van has been jailed for his role in a money laundering plot.
James Keatings, 33, who most notably made his name playing for Edinburgh clubs Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian FC, turned his hand to criminal activity following his retirement from football in 2023.
The ex-forward, who also played for top-flight sides such as St Johnstone and Dundee United before injuries derailed his career, was arrested on June 28 last year after investigators caught him red-handed.
After receiving a tip about large sums of cash being moved, the Organised Crime Partnership watched Keatings move two boxes from the back of a white transit van before placing them into the back of another vehicle and driving away.
Officials then made a move to stop and search the vehicle, where they uncovered 78 bundles of notes totalling an eye-watering £390,040, which had been stashed in the boxes Keatings had placed.
