Four Scots arrested in Dubai as part of gang war investigation

Four Scots linked to the criminal underworld have reportedly been arrested in the Middle East after a “substantial intelligence gathering operation“.

Steven Lyons, Ross McGill, Stephen Jamieson and Steven Larwood were allegedly taken into custody by Dubai police.

Detectives believe all four Scots were involved in an ongoing criminal feud which sparked in March, resulting in homes, cars and businesses being firebombed, multiple assaults and threats issued across the central belt.

STV News previously reported that a “bounty”, offering a reward for a violent attack on jailed Scottish drug lord Mark Richardson, was being offered by a group called TMJ, who are believed to be linked to McGill, amid the criminal feud.

Police Scotland launched a special task force, dubbed Operation Portaledge, to tackle the warring gangs following the rise in violence. A total of 57 people have been arrested in connection with the gang war.

Ex-director general of Scotland’s Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, Graeme Pearson, says the investigation will have taken a “huge amount of work”.

He told STV News: “Quite evidently, there had been a very substantial intelligence gathering operation over the last year.

“It has gone back much longer than that as a result of the EncroChat, which has had a substantial impact on organised crime right across Europe.

A bounty was placed on Mark Richardson during the gang war. Police Scotland

“Scotland has had its share of outcomes due to the intelligence that was developed there. It’s like a jigsaw, you’ve got all the parts and various elements, and they have to find a way of joining the dots in a sensible fashion.

“There has been a huge amount of work to get this far.”

Steven Lyons is a high-ranking member of the Glasgow-based Lyons crime group, who has been locked in a war with the Daniels gang for more than two decades.

In May of this year, his brother, Eddie Lyons Jnr, was gunned down at Monaghans Irish Bar in Fuengirola, Spain.

Associate Ross Monaghan, who owned the premises, was also killed in the shooting.

The gang war has resulted in a number of homes being firebombed. STV News

Police Scotland said the targeted attack is not linked to the ongoing central belt feud. A 44-year-old man from Merseyside was arrested in connection.

McGill was a prominent member of the Rangers supporters group, the Union Bears. Detectives reportedly identified him as a key figure in the ongoing criminal feud.

Pearson believes those with significant roles in Scotland’s criminal underworld have fled to places like Dubai to evade capture.

However, police forces in both Europe and the Middle East will be “fighting the same fight” to ensure there is no safe haven for Scottish gangsters.

Eddie Lyons Jnr was gunned down outside a Spanish pub. STV News

Pearson, who is a former Labour MSP, explained: “Those engaged in organised crime will move quickly.

“Scottish police will need the help of the National Crime Agency to go through to Interpol and Europol and then on to the Dubai authorities.

“The negotiations are sensitive but not difficult because all of them are fighting the same fight.

“If the Scottish police are going to be successful with extraditing people, they need to respect and reflect the standards of other police in different countries.

“The Crown Office will play a major part in making sure Police Scotland gets this right.”

The UK Foreign Office has not been approached for consular assistance.

It is currently not known whether the four Scots are facing extradition.

The UK Embassy in Dubai and the National Crime Agency have been contacted for comment.