Scottish gangland figure Steven Lyons arrested in Bali

One of Scotland’s most high-profile gangland figures has been arrested in Bali, STV News understands.

Steven Lyons was arrested on the Indonesian island following a two-year investigation into serious organised crime.

It comes after police in Scotland and Spain carried out a series of dawn raids on Friday. The operation targeted alleged members of the Lyons, Scotland’s dominant crime group.

Addresses in Glasgow, Bellshill, Cumbernauld, Gartcosh, Caldercruix, Coatbridge and East Whitburn were raided, and eight gang-related arrests were made.

The operation, which is not linked to the ongoing gangland feud in Scotland, was coordinated with the Spanish Guardia Civil, who raided addresses in Spain and arrested five further people.

On Saturday, Police Scotland confirmed a Scottish man, understood to be Steven Lyons, was arrested in Bali and the force is coordinating with partner agencies in Europe.

The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation confirmed that the Lyons group is suspected of running a prolific criminal network involved in the transport of large quantities of drugs, including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, into Scotland.

They say the gang, which has senior figures based in Spain and the UAE, is suspected of international drug trafficking.

From the profits of the drug trafficking, an international money laundering network was established involving several million euros feeding back into their criminal enterprise.

The joint-operation between the national authorities began in May 2024 at Eurojust, with the support of Europol.

Over the proceeding two years authorities combed through large datasets to coordinate the investigations that led to the arrests on Friday.

Europol deployed officers to both Spain and Scotland as part of the major operation.