Police chief warns ganglords: 'We'll be coming after you'

Police Scotland is actively pursuing organized crime figures who are operating from abroad in connection with the ongoing gangland feud in the central belt. Chief Constable Jo Farrell emphasized to BBC Scotland News that officers are diligently gathering intelligence to target the leaders of the groups involved. She issued a clear warning to those directing violence in Scotland from foreign countries, stating unequivocally, “We’ll be coming after you.” The crackdown has resulted in the arrest of 49 individuals following a series of incidents that began in Edinburgh in March and subsequently spread to the west of the country.

The spate of violence has involved numerous fire bombings and assaults, leading to charges such as attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Allegedly, a Scottish man currently residing in Dubai initiated the feud by targeting a crime group led by Edinburgh gangster and convicted cocaine dealer Mark Richardson. The individual in question has been identified in the media as Ross McGill. In response to inquiries about a Scottish organized crime figure located in Dubai, Farrell indicated collaboration with the Crown Office and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to facilitate the extradition of these individuals back to Scotland. While acknowledging that these processes are not swift, she stressed close cooperation with the relevant authorities in those countries and affirmed the NCA’s presence to assist in expediting the process.

Amidst ongoing investigations, the most recent arrest occurred on Thursday, with a 17-year-old male charged in connection to two deliberate fire raisings in Edinburgh’s Niddrie’s Marischal Crescent and Campion Road on 9 June. The teenager was subsequently released and is slated to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date. The chief constable also addressed the murder of two senior figures from a Scottish crime group in Spain. Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were fatally shot in a beachfront bar in Fuengirola on 31 May. Both individuals belonged to the Lyons crime group, longstanding adversaries of the Daniels, another Scottish gang. Allegations from a senior officer at the Spanish National Agency suggest that the assailant responsible for the murders has ties to the Daniels group, sparking further hostilities within the ongoing feud. While Police Scotland officers are actively present in Spain in support of Spanish law enforcement efforts, Farrell indicated a lack of evidence linking the murders to the feud or indicating any premeditated planning from Scotland. A 44-year-old individual from Liverpool, Michael Riley, has been apprehended in connection to the killings at the request of Spanish authorities and is expected to undergo an extradition hearing later this year

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