Lyons and McGill forge gang alliance after Dubai jail stint, targeting rivals

Steven Lyons and Ross 'Miami' McGill have reportedly joined forces following their release from a Dubai prison, planning coordinated strikes against rival Scottish gangs.

Scottish gang leaders said to unite after Dubai prison release

Steven Lyons and Ross 'Miami' McGill have formed a criminal alliance after bonding during a spell in Dubai's Central Prison, according to underworld sources cited by thescottishsun.co.uk.

The Lyons clan kingpin, 44, and ex-Rangers ultras chief McGill, 31, are said to have held a secret summit to pool resources and plot attacks on their rivals. Sources claim both men were briefly detained at the Gulf state's Central Prison before being freed and expelled from the country.

An insider told the publication: "Lyons and McGill became close while being held together in prison. Both parties previously agreed to let things calm down due to heat from the authorities. They have been gathering footsoldiers and weapons in the background ever since."

The source added that the pair met last week at an undisclosed location with representatives from Scotland, Ireland, Morocco, Albania and England, all said to be offering assistance.

Targets identified

According to insiders, the newly formed alliance has set its sights on the Lyons clan's long-time Glasgow rivals, the Daniels, and jailed Edinburgh druglord Mark Richardson, 38 — currently held in solitary confinement at Low Moss prison for his own safety after receiving an Osman threat-to-life warning.

"They have agreed to join forces to eliminate the Daniel and Richardson clan," the source said.

Richardson's associates are described as being in a weakened position, with most of his crew already behind bars.

How the feud began

McGill, from East Kilbride and former head of the Union Bears supporters group, launched a revenge campaign in March after being swindled with counterfeit cash in a £500,000 cocaine deal. He blamed associates of Richardson and unleashed a wave of attacks across Edinburgh that later spread to Glasgow.

A group calling itself Tamo Junto claimed responsibility for arson attacks on homes and businesses, including properties linked to relatives of the Lyons' late arch-enemy Jamie Daniel.

Violence escalated sharply in May when Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46 — brother of Steven Lyons — and fellow mob figurehead Ross Monaghan, 43, were shot dead at a bar in Fuengirola, Spain. Alleged hitman Michael Riley, 44, of Huyton, Liverpool, was subsequently flown to the Costa del Sol last month to face justice after abandoning his extradition fight.

Daniels fill the vacuum

Following the double assassination in Spain, sources suggest the Daniels regained control of their former territory in north Glasgow. Their network is said to be led by Francis 'Fraggle' Green, 43, while former kingpin Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, 45, has reportedly been content to step back.

Several members of the Daniel clan are said to have fled to Dubai in the aftermath of the killings, a move that has reportedly angered those left behind in Scotland, who now feel exposed.

Dubai arrests and Operation Portaledge

The Scottish Sun reported in September that McGill and Lyons were arrested alongside cocaine dealer Steven Larwood and fellow Scots gangster Stephen 'Jimmy' Jamieson, 42, during dawn raids by Dubai police. Jamieson — a former associate of cocaine trafficker Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson — is understood to still be in custody, while the other three were allowed to leave the UAE.

McGill is reported to have travelled first to Riyadh before heading to Asia. UAE officials have made no contact with UK law enforcement regarding their investigation.

Police Scotland said: "We are not in a position to confirm any arrests."

Meanwhile, Police Scotland's Operation Portaledge — an ongoing probe into gangland violence — has resulted in 62 suspects being detained across the central belt, where firebombings and targeted attacks have marked one of the most turbulent periods in Scottish organised crime in recent years.

Source: The Sun