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Police make 15th arrest in operation to dismantle Lyons crime gang

BBC Police officers wearing protective helmets and tactical gear move through a doorway inside a building; “POLICE” and identification markings are visible on their helmets and backs.BBC
Police have carried out a series of raids in a joint operation with Spanish police

Detectives have made a 15th arrest as a part of an operation to dismantle a criminal drugs gang led by the Lyons family.

Police Scotland said a 34-year-old man had been held over serious organised crime offences and would appear before Glasgow Sheriff Court.

It is part of Operation Armorum - a Spanish Civil Guard investigation that has seen arrests in Spain, Scotland, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

Earlier this week, Glasgow crime boss Steven Lyons was arrested in the Netherlands after being deported from Bali.

The 45-year-old was taken into custody on 28 March after arriving in Indonesia from Singapore.

The Civil Guard said the Lyons network in Spain had been taken apart in a series of raids, mostly on the Costa Del Sol and Barcelona, with 20 other people under investigation.

EPA Steven Lyons, wearing a black face mask and an orange boiler suit, is flanked by police officersEPA
Lyons was escorted from Bali police headquarters in Denpasar

Electronic devices, large amounts of cash, company documents, high-end watches and cryptocurrency wallets were seized.

Operation Armorum has also seen police in Turkey locate and freeze high-value assets linked to the Lyons.

The Civil Guard is one of Spain's two national police agencies. It operates as a paramilitary organisation and deals with high-level security and serious crime.

The raids came after a three-year investigation in collaboration with Police Scotland.

Lyons is the head of the Lyons group, which has been involved in a feud with the rival Daniel group for more than 20 years.

In 2006, he survived a shooting at a garage in Lambhill in the north of Glasgow. His cousin died in the incident.

He later moved to Spain before settling in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he has ties to the Dubai-based Kinahan crime group.

Lyons was detained on the same day his wife, Amanda, was arrested in Dubai. He was put on a flight out of Indonesia on Tuesday.

Police Scotland confirmed the latest arrest was the 15th as part of Operation Armorum.

A spokesperson said: "A 34-year-old man has been arrested in connection with serious organised crime offences.

"He is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date."