Steven Lyons to Contest Extradition to Spain
Steven Lyons, one of Scotland's most notorious gangland figures, is set to challenge his extradition from the Netherlands to Spain, according to BBC Scotland News. His lawyer, Arne Kloosterman, has confirmed plans to oppose the extradition during a hearing scheduled at Amsterdam District Court on Thursday.
Lyons, aged 46, was arrested in Bali in March and subsequently deported. He is expected to attend the court hearing, with the judge's ruling anticipated to be released on 18 June.
Police authorities in Spain have previously stated that they dismantled a criminal drug trafficking gang led by members of the Lyons family. The Spanish Civil Guard reported 14 arrests across four countries, with an additional 20 individuals under investigation.
The arrests were part of Operation Armorum, which also involved Turkish authorities locating and freezing high-value assets connected to the Lyons network.
The Civil Guard, one of Spain's two national police forces, operates as a paramilitary organization responsible for high-level security and serious crime investigations. The operation against the Lyons family included 18 raids, primarily in the Costa Del Sol and Barcelona regions.
During the investigation, authorities seized electronic devices, large sums of cash, company documents, luxury watches, and cryptocurrency wallets.
This investigation follows a three-year collaborative probe with Police Scotland.
The Civil Guard described the Lyons gang as having established a criminal network spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It operates a complex money laundering system based on shell companies and international financial transactions, managing millions of euros derived from drug trafficking.
"Its ability to operate simultaneously in several countries - including Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey - and to forge alliances with other major criminal networks, solidified the clan's position as one of the most significant players in contemporary European organised crime."
Lyons was deported from Indonesia on 7 April. The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Bali described him as a "mafia boss and Interpol fugitive" in their release confirming the deportation.
He is the head of the Lyons group, which has been engaged in a long-standing feud with the rival Daniel group for over 20 years.
In 2006, Lyons survived a shooting at a garage in Lambhill, north Glasgow, in which his cousin Michael Lyons was killed.
Lyons subsequently relocated to Spain before settling in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he is known to have connections with the Dubai-based Kinahan crime group.
His brother, Eddie Lyons Jnr, and associate Ross Monaghan were fatally shot in a beachfront bar in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol in May of the previous year.
Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, has been accused by Spanish police of the murders. He initially challenged extradition but consented to be transferred to Spain to face prosecution, as confirmed by the Crown Prosecution Service in October.
Following the double shooting, a Spanish National Police detective indicated the suspect was affiliated with the rival Daniel gang.
Police Scotland have stated there is no evidence linking the murders in Spain to the ongoing gang conflict or suggesting the incident was planned in Scotland.
