EuropolTurkish properties have been seized amid a major international crackdown targeting a Scottish gang.
The large-scale investigation involved police in Scotland, the Netherlands, Türkiye, Dubai, the Spanish Guardia Civil, the National Crime Agency and Europol.
As part of a pre-planned day of action on Friday, authorities in Türkiye seized two plots of land, a villa, and shares in a company. The real estate is estimated to be worth around 600,000 Euros (£519,846), and statements were taken from four Turkish citizens as witnesses.
Officers in Scotland raided homes in Glasgow, Bellshill, Cumbernauld, Gartcosh, Caldercruix, Coatbridge and East Whitburn.
Eight men, aged 64, 46, 45, 45, 41, 39, 39 and 35, have been charged in connection with gang-related offences.
One of the men, aged 39, is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court, and the other seven men are due to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Monday, March 30, 2026.
Addresses in the Malaga area and Barcelona were searched by Spanish authorities, and a further five people linked to the group were arrested.
According to Europol, the Scottish gang maintained control over parts of the United Kingdom through intimidation, retaliation and organised violence.
The group’s senior figures running the operations on the ground are based in Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
They are suspected of running a prolific criminal network involved in the transport of large quantities of drugs, including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, into Scotland.
From the profits of the drug trafficking, an international money laundering network was established involving several million euros feeding back into their criminal enterprise.
Europol have been involved with tracking the underworld gang’s leadership, finances and international footprint since 2020.
The EU’s law enforcement agency concluded that the organised crime group has maintained a stable command structure over time, based on recently obtained encrypted communications.
A multi-agency task force was set up in May 2024 in an effort to close in on the criminal network.
Over two years, authorities met several times to comb through large datasets to coordinate the investigations that led to Friday’s international gang-busting operation.
Enquiries into the Scottish gang’s activity are still ongoing.
Authorities are looking into a series of violent incidents, including shootings linked to a criminal feud which began in Scotland.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
