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A network of secret nightclubs where drugs are sold and taken in full view of staff is exposed by the Sunday Mail today.

Footage secretly taken by our team of investigators shows lines of cocaine being offered and taken by young revellers on the screen of a dealer’s iPhone.

We also watched as clubbers stood in groups popping pills they had scored from dealers who stalked the venue, which had no licence or safety certificate to operate.

Door staff employed to provide security also brazenly snorted coke and smoked cannabis joints.

The extent of the illegal scene is exposed today amid warnings that organisers have links to serious organised crime.

(Image: Sunday Mail)

Our shocking footage was taken at one of the most popular illegal clubs in Scotland, called Checkmate – which operates under the front of a chess club in Centre Street, in Glasgow’s Tradeston.

Hundreds of young partygoers in their teens and 20s pay a £10 door charge to party from 3am until 7am.

The venue is close to a car park where a young woman was found collapsed in a critical condition in the early hours of a Saturday last July. She was later taken to hospital.

One source said: “There has been an awareness of the existence of these venues among the authorities for months. But for some reason, they’ve appeared to turn a blind eye to their existence.

“There is compelling intelligence that some of the clubs are linked to organised crime.

“This isn’t just a group of kids looking for a good time, it’s more than that.”

Our reporters arrived at the run-down building shortly after 3am yesterday morning.

A man – who acted as a nightclub door steward – asked: “Are you guys looking for the party?”

He then led us through a black steel door and up a set of dusty stairs to a pay kiosk.

(Image: Sunday Mail)

A young woman then took our £10 entrance fee and provided drink tokens – which carried a warning that drug-taking was forbidden.

The bouncer then escorted us up another flight of steps inside the main room, where a DJ played dance music and a strong smell of cannabis hung in the air.

At the bar, a young man was pouring supermarket-brand vodka in to plastic cups and offered drinkers beer and cider.

Within minutes, the crowd started to swell with teenagers and young adults. Later, two older men, who spoke with West African accents, appeared with a black satchel, from which one pulled out a plastic bag containing wraps of cocaine.

They sat on a battered leather couch before putting out lines of the drug on an iPhone screen and offering them to clubbers.

When we approached the dealer, he sold us a half gram of the drug for £40. He told our reporter: “I can do you a gram for £80. This is good stuff.” Minutes later, we spoke to a young man in his 20s who was openly dealing pills.

He sold us blue-coloured tablets, believed to be ecstasy, which had computer games firm Electronic Arts logo stamped on the side.

The dealer also had small white pills inside the metal tobacco tin. He told us: “They’re £10 each.” We purchased four as other revellers got their cash ready to do business.

Checkmate organisers claim on Facebook that it is a private members chess club. It is also claimed online that the building where the club nights are held is an art gallery.

(Image: Sunday Mail)

Within an hour of our arrival, about 200 people were inside. We watched as a young woman appeared to be unconscious across one of the venue’s torn leather couches, as her friends danced around her.

One of the bouncers, dressed in a black T-shirt and black combat trousers, made no effort to assist the female as he stood back and smoked a joint.

The same doorman was later observed taking a line of cocaine.

Legitimate door stewards are vetted by the Government-backed Security Industry Authority and have to pass training and background checks before being allowed to work.

Checkmate is one of seven unlicensed clubs operating in Glasgow.

Last July, a 35-year-old woman was found needing medical attention in a car park directly across from the venue.

She was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in the city.

Nightclub industry leaders have asked Police Scotland to smash the illegal network before someone dies.

It has been claimed that detectives have been told the venues are linked to organised crime gangs operating in the city.

Scottish Licensed Trade Association spokesman Paul Waterson said: “We’ve really got to stop these unlicensed events before there’s tragedies at them. This is a very dangerous trend.

“There’s got to be significant police involvement in this to get these events shut down.”

(Image: Sunday Mail)

Donald MacLeod, director of the Glasgow Licensing Forum, said: “What has been uncovered here is extremely concerning and makes me quite angry.

“This does not look good for Police Scotland or for the city of Glasgow.

“Behind the scenes, people in the industry have been warning about this issue for some time but it is only recently that we have seen the first signs of action.

“Responsible participants in the industry have to abide by many rules and regulations – quite rightly – but this illegal scene carries on apparently unchecked.”

Glasgow MSP Annie Wells, Scottish Conservative public health spokeswoman, said: “These unlicensed events present a significant risk to anyone who attends and to the communities around them.

“The organisers are clearly only focused on making money without taking any responsibility.

“Given the levels of organisation and planning involved, Police Scotland must have every support in tracking down and prosecuting the organisers.”

Mark Davyd, founder of Music Venue Trust, added: “These kind of unlicensed events are a concern because of the health and safety aspect.

“Where you see the rise of this kind of unlicensed activity, it’s addressing a demand.

“Licensing a venue is so expensive and so tough to do.

(Image: Sunday Mail)

“We’ve cracked down so much on licensed activities that the rise in unlicensed activities is almost an inevitable result.”

UK Hospitality chief executive, Kate Nicholls said: “If costs such as business rates continue to increase then more and more venues will go out of business or those costs are passed on to customers.

“An unwanted side effect of increasing costs could well see larger numbers of people pushed away from clubs and bars into illegal venues.”

The Security Industry Authority said: “To obtain a door supervisor licence, individuals have to pass checks on their identity, right to

work in the UK and criminal record.

“They’re also required to have successfully completed a Government-recognised qualification based on specifications developed by us.

“Employing unlicensed door staff can make a bad situation worse, putting people at risk.”

Police Scotland confirmed they are aware of unlicensed events taking place.

A spokeswoman said: “Police received unconfirmed information regarding an event being organised and taking place in Glasgow.

“Inquiries are ongoing to confirm if this is the case and, if so, appropriate action will be taken.”