Concerns Over Lyons Crime Group Following Arrest of Leader
The arrest of Steven Lyons, leader of Scotland's Lyons crime group, has raised concerns about a potential resurgence of underworld violence, according to former senior police officer Martin Gallagher.
Gallagher indicated that the gang's reputation has significantly deteriorated following Lyons' arrest in Bali.
Lyons, aged 45, is currently held in the Netherlands pending extradition to Spain. This development comes less than a year after two senior associates of the group were fatally shot on the Costa del Sol.
Since his detention on 28 March, Lyons has been seen wearing bright orange overalls, a black face mask, and with his hands bound by cable ties.
Commenting on the images from Indonesia, Gallagher told BBC Scotland's Scotcast:
"Decapitation. That's the end of the road, really, for the higher echelons of that organised crime group.
Organised criminals operate on their reputation and the projection of power.
Look at those images. What does that project? The ultimate weakness. The ultimate failure.
So I think you would have to say that this looks like the end - or the beginning of the end - for that organised crime group."
Background of Violence and Recent Killings
In May of the previous year, Steven Lyons' brother, Eddie Lyons Jnr, and Ross Monaghan were shot dead at a beachfront bar in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
Both men had spent the evening watching the Champions League final before being targeted by a lone gunman.
Gallagher emphasized the importance of reputation in organised crime, maintained through fear and example.
"You have two of the top people in the Lyons crime group murdered in a very public manner in Spain.
That sends a very strong message that this organised crime group is vulnerable."
Investigation and Suspect Details
Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, has been accused by Spanish police of the murders.
He initially challenged extradition but later consented to be taken to Spain to face prosecution, as confirmed by the Crown Prosecution Service in October.
Following the double shooting, a Spanish detective identified the suspect as a member of the rival Daniel gang.
The Daniel gang has been engaged in a violent feud with the Lyons group for over two decades.
Renewed Gangland Violence in Scotland
The feud reignited in March last year, triggering a fresh wave of gangland violence in eastern and western Scotland.
Several properties were set on fire in Edinburgh and surrounding areas before the violence spread to Glasgow in early April.
Police Scotland responded with Operation Portaledge, which has resulted in over 60 arrests to date.
International Arrests and Raids
At the end of March, attention shifted to South East Asia.
On 28 March, BBC Scotland News reported Lyons' arrest at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport after arriving from Singapore.
Lyons, who was subject to an Interpol Red Notice, was detained the same day his wife, Amanda, was arrested in Dubai.
The arrests followed a joint Scottish-Spanish operation involving simultaneous raids targeting alleged Lyons crime group members in Bellshill, Glasgow, Gartcosh, Whitburn, Caldercruix, Cumbernauld, Coatbridge, Barcelona, and the Malaga area.
Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya stated that Lyons was alleged to be the leader of a "large-scale transnational criminal organisation engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering."
Analysis of Lyons' Arrest and Its Implications
Gallagher, now a criminologist, highlighted the significance of the images of Lyons since his arrest.
He remarked:
"You look at Steven Lyons during his extradition and I've got to be honest, he looks quite sad.
He's a wee Scottish guy in a pair of shorts surrounded by cops in a very foreign country.
It doesn't send a message of power. It certainly doesn't send a message of control.
It sends a message that they're extremely vulnerable.
They've lost their senior people and their credibility in organised crime circles will be in the gutter."
Ongoing Feud and Recent Attacks
The Lyons group has been engaged in a violent feud with the Daniel group for more than 20 years.
In the early hours of Tuesday, a significant landmark in the dispute was targeted in a firebombing attack.
A van and two cars were set ablaze at Lambhill Motors on Balmore Road in north Glasgow.
The garage, formerly known as Applerow Motors, was the scene of a crime in December 2006 when 21-year-old Michael Lyons was shot dead.
Steven Lyons was also injured in that attack, which claimed the life of his cousin, after which he relocated first to Spain and then to Dubai.
The fire occurred hours after a 31-year-old man was stabbed in Musselburgh, Edinburgh.
Both incidents are under investigation by detectives from Operation Portaledge.
Future Prospects and Potential Violence
When asked about possible developments, Gallagher stated:
"Nature abhors a vacuum, so if we're having the top level people in Scottish organised crime from one side of the fence removed, then something else is going to fill that."
He identified the Daniel crime group as the most likely to fill the void but also mentioned Edinburgh gangster Mark Richardson, who is nearing the end of a lengthy prison sentence.
Gallagher added:
"Looking back at when organised crime groups have essentially been defeated, you have a reckoning.
So at that stage, you're going to have people in the defeated organised crime group, either looking to get out of organised crime or moving across to their rivals.
There'll be a taking over happening, and as that happens, there will be inevitable push back into violence.
I think it's almost inevitable that it's going to happen."
