A CONVICTED Inverclyde drug trafficker is one of a number of men named in a TV investigation into dog breeding practices branded 'appalling' by animal welfare experts.

William Byrne, of Wemyss Bay — who was jailed in 2010 for leading a crime gang in the supply of cocaine — runs the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC) UK.

An undercover BBC Scotland Disclosure investigation captured footage of pups with freshly cropped ears at the home of an ABKC judge.

Journalist Sam Poling reveals that the ABKC is run by Byrne and Glasgow man Sean Main, who was acquitted of involvement in a £6m drugs operation.

The RSPCA has called the practice of cropping the ears of American Bully pups 'appalling'.

Byrne had links to Inverclyde men Daniel Squires and Paul Cairns who were jailed in the Dominican Republic for drug trafficking.

Byrne had admitted to being concerned in the supply of cocaine worth £250,000 between January 1 and August 15, 2008.

He received a four-and-a-half year prison sentence after pleading guilty at the High Court in Greenock in 2010.

Judge Lord Matthews told Byrne: "You were involved with the supply of cocaine over seven months or so and you did that for money.

"You obviously were the main player, although your record up to now has been minor."

Byrne, who lived at Burns Drive, Wemyss Bay, was one of the main targets of Operation Salute, a long-running investigation instigated by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.

He was the focus of a previous newspaper investigation in 2018 which uncovered backstreet ear-cropping of American Bully pups.

Animal investigators seized anaesthetics, cropping irons and scalpels, as breeders undertook their own surgical operations on the breed, which are known to be a favoured fashion accessory of Scots gangsters.

Byrne was said to be Scotland's biggest American Bully breeder.

Top-end bloodlines can sell for £5,000 each.

*The BBC Disclosure investigation, The Dog Dealers, aired last night and is still available to view on BBC iPlayer.