Four high-profile Scottish gang figures arrested in Dubai

Four of Scotland’s most high-profile gangland figures were arrested in Dubai on Tuesday in an operation that follows months of violence in Scotland and international police co-operation, BBC Scotland reports.

Steven Lyons, Ross McGill, Stephen Jamieson and Steven Larwood were taken into custody in the United Arab Emirates, sources told BBC Scotland News, and Police Scotland believe the four are linked to criminality including drug importation and a violent feud between rival gangs in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The dispute, investigators say, has been connected to a series of assaults, shootings and firebombings since March.

Detectives working on Operation Portaledge, the force’s response to the wave of gang violence, have made 57 arrests so far. BBC Scotland quoted a source saying the Dubai arrests were of "significance" and describing the four as operating "at the highest level of organised crime, both at a UK and an international level." It is unclear whether Scottish officers were informed before the UAE action, or whether the men will face charges in Dubai or be the subject of extradition proceedings back to the UK.

Steven Lyons is regarded as the head of the Lyons crime group, which has been involved in a long-running feud with the rival Daniel clan for more than 20 years. Lyons survived a 2006 shooting in north Glasgow that killed his cousin, Michael Lyons, and later moved to Spain before settling in Dubai. His brother, Eddie Lyons Jr., and Ross Monaghan were shot dead in May at a bar in Fuengirola on Spain’s Costa del Sol while watching a Champions League final.

Spanish authorities have accused Michael Riley, 44, of Liverpool, of carrying out the double shooting; an extradition hearing for Riley is scheduled later this year. A Spanish National Police detective said at the time the suspect was believed to be a member of the rival Daniel gang, but Police Scotland has said there is nothing to suggest the Spanish murders were planned in Scotland or are directly linked to the ongoing gang war.

Ross McGill first came to police attention as a senior member of the Rangers ultras group the Union Bears. Since March he has been identified by police sources as a key figure in the current feud. BBC Scotland reported the violence was triggered by a falling-out between McGill and Edinburgh-based drug dealer Mark Richardson, who is serving a prison sentence.

Steven Larwood is a known associate of Lyons who previously lived in Spain before relocating to Dubai. Stephen Jamieson, who has also lived in Dubai for several years, has reported links to Jamie “Iceman" Stevenson, who was jailed last year for his role in an alleged plot to smuggle £100 million worth of cocaine from South America.

Police Scotland told BBC Scotland it was unable to confirm the arrests. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office had not been contacted for consular assistance, according to the report, and Dubai Police referred BBC Scotland to the UK embassy in Dubai, which had not commented.

The arrests mark a significant development in a cross-border policing effort that has sought to address both local street-level violence and international organised crime links. Authorities in Scotland have said the investigation remains ongoing and have not disclosed whether formal extradition requests or criminal charges will follow the UAE detentions.