Spanish Police Dismantle Lyons Family Drug Gang
Authorities in Spain have announced the dismantling of a criminal drug trafficking gang led by members of the Lyons family. The country's Civil Guard reported that Steven Lyons, a Scottish gangland figure, was arrested in the Netherlands after being deported from Bali on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old crime boss, originally from Glasgow, was taken into custody on 28 March upon arrival in Indonesia from Singapore. The Civil Guard stated that the Lyons organisation operating in Spain has been dismantled, with 14 arrests made across four countries and 20 additional individuals under investigation.
Lyons was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and was detained on the same day that his wife, Amanda Lyons, was arrested in Dubai.
The arrests are part of Operation Armorum, which also involved Turkish authorities locating and freezing high-value assets linked to the Lyons network, according to the Civil Guard's statement.
The Civil Guard, one of Spain's two national police agencies, functions as a paramilitary organisation responsible for high-level security and serious crime investigations.
The operation against the Lyons gang included 18 raids over the past week, primarily focused on the Costa Del Sol and Barcelona regions. During these raids, electronic devices, large sums of cash, company documents, luxury watches, and cryptocurrency wallets were seized.
This extensive operation follows a three-year investigation conducted in collaboration with Police Scotland.
The Civil Guard's statement described the Lyons gang as having developed a criminal network spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It highlighted the gang's 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 Tuesday. The local Ngurah Rai Immigration Office confirmed the move, describing him as a "mafia boss and Interpol fugitive." Bugie Kurniawan, head of the office, stated:
"We will not allow Indonesian territory, especially Bali, to become a haven or base of operations for international criminals."
Background on Steven Lyons and the Lyons Gang
Steven Lyons leads the Lyons group, which has been engaged in a longstanding feud with the rival Daniel group for over 20 years.
In 2006, Lyons survived a shooting at a garage in Lambhill, in the north of Glasgow, where his cousin was killed during the incident.
Following this, Lyons relocated to Spain before eventually settling in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he has established connections with the Dubai-based Kinahan crime group.
In May of the previous year, Lyons' brother, Eddie Lyons Jr, and his associate Ross Monaghan were fatally shot in a beachfront bar in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.
Spanish police have accused Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, of the murders. Riley initially challenged an extradition request, but the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed in October that he consented to be extradited to Spain to face prosecution.
Following the double shooting, a Spanish National Police detective indicated that the suspect was affiliated with the rival Daniel gang.
Police Scotland have stated that there is no evidence to suggest the murders in Spain are connected to the ongoing gang war or that the killings were planned in Scotland.
