Spanish police ‘dismantle’ Scottish drugs gang as crime boss arrested
Spanish Authorities Disrupt Scottish Drug Network Amid Crime Boss’s Arrest
Spanish police have claimed to have dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate led by the Lyons family. The operation, which includes 14 arrests across four nations, targets the group’s activities in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Steven Lyons, the 45-year-old Glasgow-based leader, was apprehended in the Netherlands following his deportation from Bali on Tuesday. He arrived in Indonesia from Singapore on 28 March and was detained shortly after.
The Civil Guard, one of Spain’s national police forces, highlighted that the Lyons organization has been dismantled, with 20 individuals currently under investigation. A spokesperson for the force noted that Lyons is expected to reach Spain in two to three weeks, though delays could occur if he resists extradition. His arrest coincided with the detention of his wife, Amanda, in Dubai, as both were listed under an Interpol Red Notice.
“We will not allow Indonesian territory, especially Bali, to become a haven or base of operations for international criminals,” stated Bugie Kurniawan, head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, confirming Lyons’s deportation.
Operation Armorum, which led to the arrests, also saw Spanish police collaborating with Turkish authorities to seize high-value assets tied to the Lyons network. The Civil Guard conducted 18 raids in the past week, primarily in Barcelona and the Costa Del Sol region, recovering items such as electronic devices, cash, company records, luxury watches, and cryptocurrency wallets.
Steven Lyons, the head of the Lyons group, has been embroiled in a long-standing feud with the Daniel gang for over two decades. In 2006, he survived a shooting at a Lambhill garage in Glasgow, where his cousin was killed. He later relocated to Spain before settling in Dubai, UAE, where he is connected to the Kinahan crime group. Last May, his brother Eddie Lyons Jnr and associate Ross Monaghan were fatally shot at a Fuengirola beachfront bar. Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, is accused of the murders but had initially contested extradition. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed his agreement to stand trial in Spain in October.
Spanish National Police detectives linked Riley to the rival Daniel gang following the double shooting, but Police Scotland insists there is no evidence connecting the incident to the ongoing gang war or its planning. The investigation, spanning three years, involved close cooperation between Spanish and Scottish law enforcement to expose the Lyons network’s sophisticated money laundering schemes using shell companies and global financial transactions.
