Skip to main content

National Crime Agency officers and MI5 spooks target Costa del Sol kingpin as potential Daniel v Lyons peacemaker … Extraordinary bid to end 17-year drug war being waged across central Scotland .... But factions reject plea to stop tit-for-tat bloodshed

A MAJOR criminal based in Spain has been approached by security services in a desperate bid to end the Daniel v Lyons drugs war.

The wealthy expat, who is in his 60s and was once jailed over a heroin haul in Glasgow, was asked to broker a truce between the warring families.

Both gangs - the most prominent of Scotland's 22 high level organised crime groups - have been told the approach may have come from Britain's domestic security service MI5.

The National Crime Agency (NCA), described as Britain's FBI, is understood to have been involved in the extraordinary move to end Scotland's deadliest criminal feud.

One source said: “The expat criminal was in London on business when he was approached by either the security services or the NCA.

“He was asked to use his influence by relaying the message to both sides that the bloodshed in Scotland had to end.

“Unfortunately, it seems not to have had the desired effect. There has been so much violence that neither side seems willing to back down.

“The approach has also instilled a sense of paranoia in both camps about who can be trusted and who is looking at them.”

The book Caught in the Crossfire charts how the The Daniel v Lyons feud began in 2001 when a stolen stash of Daniel cocaine ended up being sold by the Lyons in Milton, Glasgow.

The minor theft escalated into a relentless wave of tit-for-tat shootings and other atrocities.

The vendetta has claimed the lives of Daniel enforcer Kevin ‘Gerbil’ Carroll, 29, and Michael Lyons, 21.

Lyons was killed by two Daniel hitman using stolen British Army guns in a triple shooting in Lambhill, Glasgow in 2006.

A rogue band of Argyll & Sutherland soldiers were jailed for supplying Army explosives to the Daniel gang following a joint police and MI5 probe.

In the triple shooting, Steven Lyons, 37, was injured but survived and fled to Spain where he formed an alliance with a major Irish drugs gang.

He remains the Daniels' number one target and has thought to have recently quit Spain for Dubai - another favourite haunt of UK gangland.

Following Carroll’s 2010 shooting outside a suburban Asda supermarket, Billy Paterson, 38, joined pal Steven in Spain’s Costa del Sol.

Paterson eventually surrendered to police and in 2015 was jailed for at least 22 years for Carroll’s murder.

Other incidents have included fire attacks, the desecration of a child’s grave and two shootings outside primary schools.

Last year [2017], Police Scotland launched Operation Engagement in a bid to target the two families and their associated organised crime gangs in places including Paisley and Edinburgh.

Lead officers Detective Superintendent Kenny Graham vowed to “do whatever we can to dismantle them”.

It later emerged that police had attempted to set up ‘peace talks’ with a proposed meeting between Steven Lyons and a senior member of the Daniel gang.

The extraordinary offer was rejected by Steven ‘Bonzo’ Daniel, 38, who suffered severe facial injuries in an alleged attack in May 2017.

A police insider defended criticism of the unprecedented attempt by saying it was “part of a range of measures to try to engage with both sides”.

The secretive NCA was set up in 2013 to tackle organised crime including drugs, human slavery and firearms, in the UK and overseas.

A significant NCA unit is based at the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire.

MI5 does not respond to media enquiries.

An NCA spokeswoman said: “The NCA does not routinely confirm nor deny the existence of investigations, or comment on specific intelligence matters.


DANIEL MOB’S ARSENAL IN THE JUNGLE 

A CAR trader jailed over a stash of guns in his flat was hiding the weapons for the Daniel organised crime gang.

John McIver, 61, was caught with a Remington self-loading pistol, a sawn-off shotgun and a Winchester shotgun along with an electric stun gun disguised as an iPhone.

They weapons were hidden in McIver’s flat in an area of Glasgow’s Possil known as The Jungle which the Daniels consider their territory.

Police believe that the deadly arsenal would have been used in 17-year drugs war being waged against the Lyons.

Also seized was ammunition and a stash of cocaine, cannabis and amphetamine value at £168,000.

McIver plead guilty to 12 charges just three months after his arrest last November and was last month [March 2018] sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.

One source said: “He had the choice of taking the rap or pointing the finger at his bosses which was not really an option.

“Losing the drugs is bad enough for the Daniels but the weapons are a much greater loss.”

McIver is a long-term Daniel associate through the used car and scrap trade but they were not named during proceedings at Glasgow High Court.

His lawyer claimed that he was put under pressure to allow his flat to become a safe house.

Jailing McIver, judge Lord Mulholland said: “Lethal weapons which in the wrong hands can be used to maim or kill. This city has seen a lot of these offences.”



DANIEL v LYONS TIMELINE

2001
A stash of Daniel cocaine is stolen from a house in Milton, Glasgow, then sold by the Lyons

December 2006
Michael Lyons, 21, right, is killed by two Daniel hitmen in a triple shooting at a garage in Lambhill, Glasgow. Cousin Steven Lyons, 37, and a Paisley gangster ally are also shot but survive.

January 2010
Daniel enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll is shot dead outside a suburban Asda near Glasgow

May 2012
Lyons mob drug dealer Ross Monaghan walks free when his trial for murdering Carroll collapses

May 2015
Lyons gang hitman Billy ‘Buff’ Paterson is jailed for at least 22 years for the murder of Carroll

September 2015
Gerbil associate Ross Sherlock is shot and injured outside a primary school in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow

January 2017
Lyons associate Ross Monaghan is shot in the shoulder after dropping a child off at school in Penilee, Glasgow

February 2017
Jamie Daniel's son Francis 'Fraggle' Green is targeted when shots are fired at his home in Milton of Campsie, north of Glasgow

March 2017
Drug dealer Robert Daniel shot on the arm outside his home in Stepps, near Glasgow

March 2017
Operation Engagement launched to target the two families' organised crime activities across Scotland

March 2017
Daniel associate Ross Sherlock suffers a blade attack in prison

May 2017 Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel is seriously assaulted in Glasgow's Port Dundas

June 2017
Robert Daniel's brother, also named Jamie, is seriously assaulted outside his home in Glasgow's Milton.

March 2018
Daniel associate William Barclay is attacked in front of his family in Springburn by two gunmen

A version of this report was first published in the Sunday Mail on April 8, 2018:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/mi5-spooks-recruit-costa-crime-12324406

A detailed account of the Daniel v Lyons drug war is contained in Caught in the Crossfire by Russell Findlay, available from Amazon: CLICK HERE






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Glasgow City Council's SNP leader Susan Aitken behind PR campaign to silence critical media report about suicide on River Clyde ... Council spinners cited fears of fuelling deaths ... But the politician had made a series of comments about suicides on the river just weeks earlier

One subject certain to focus the mind of a journalist it is that of suicide. Confusion surrounds what can and cannot be said. News organisations sometimes take the cautious position not to report a single word when someone has taken their own life but a self-imposed blackout is rarely necessary and serves no public interest. These guidelines from the Samaritans are helpful . Yes, it is valid to report suicides but care should be taken about doing so sensitively, avoiding sensationalism and over-simplification, and being too specific about ‘ hot spots ’ or the methods used. A welcome development has been the inclusion about how people can get help. However, one recent experience raised a new and unexpected concern – that of PR people and their political masters exploiting the media’s responsibility to be mindful and responsible. While producing this story about suicide for STV News , I conducted an on-camera interview with Glasgow taxi driver Stef Shaw, aka The Glasgow Cabb

Cops probe 'Irish Mafia' fight nights ... Ex-lawyer's ring links to Dublin bloodbath gang ... Business 'twinned' with crime clan gym

A BOXING gym at the centre of a bloodbath gang war has a foothold in Scotland after hooking up with a former corporate lawyer. Sam Kynoch, 29, brags about his ties to the MGM base in Spain, which is run by Daniel Kinahan — heir to a £500million Irish crime empire. The ex-solicitor's MGM Scotland describes itself as the 'sister business' of the Marbella gym and he is gearing up to promote fights in Glasgow and Edinburgh. But police will monitor the shows after hitmen with AK-47s blasted a Kinahan gang enforcer to death nine days ago at a boxing weigh-in in Dublin. Labour justice spokesman Graeme Pearson MSP said: "Given the apparent association between these organisations, one would hope the authorities were focusing on any implications for Scotland." The former elite cop commander added: "I am sure the police will look very closely at this relationship." Boxing coach Kinahan, 37, was the suspected target of the Irish shooting.

Meet Alex Salmond's expensive legal team ... Crowdfunded cash will bankroll Court of Session battle against Nicola Sturgeon's government ... But spare a thought for the two women who made complaints of sexual misconduct against the former First Minister

MUCH has been written about how the #MeToo phenomenon which began in Holywood was confounded in Holyrood with Alex Salmond’s ugly but effective reframing of himself as the victim following allegations of sexual misconduct by two women. Plenty has also been said about the chutzpah of a wealthy former First Minister passing round an online begging bowl — stuffed with gusto by the blindly loyal — to pay his legal bills. But so far little is known about the crowdfunded team behind the impending judicial review of how the Scottish Government handled the complaints made against Salmond. Thanks to other people’s £100,007, he can afford a lot of expensive lawyers. Senior counsel Ronnie Clancy QC will lead in court. At his side will be advocate Duncan Hamilton , a former SNP MSP. Central to shaping Salmond’s case is the law firm Levy & McRae and its partner David McKie. Those who take an interest in the plots and personalities of Scotland’s legal profession will be fa

SEIZED: Scotland's biggest bankrupt Gregory King forced out of £5m home in Marbella's La Zagaleta ... Ex-blue chip lawyer loses prized mansion in enclave protected by armed guards and where Putin was a neighbour ... Fraud probe financier back in Glasgow 16 years after the unsolved doorstep murder of business partner Alex Blue ... Now trustee goes after SECOND Costa del Sol casa

SCOTLAND’S biggest bankrupt has been forced to abandon his £5million Spanish mansion which was seized to pay some of his debts. Gregory King, 49, has returned to Glasgow after his trustee Adrian Hyde took control of the stunning hilltop home overlooking Marbella. The house in the Costa del Sol’s exclusive La Zagaleta enclave has been sold for €5.7million (£5.11m). Hyde is now attempting to obtain a neighbouring mansion previously occupied by King’s bookmaker dad Hugh King, 77, and worth at least as much. Hyde, a partner with CVR Global , said: “ When we took possession of the house, Mr King appears to have left in a hurry as it was full of paperwork, clothing and other personal effects.  It was almost as if they had simply left on holiday but never returned.  “There were two cars in the driveway and one of his many Harley Davidson motorbikes in the garage. “The house was owned by a Spanish company with a Gibraltar parent company which in turn was owned by Mr Ki

UNMASKED: Gerbil Getaway Driver ... third suspect revealed ... Victor Gallagher 'helped killers flee'

The Scottish Sun can today reveal the third suspected member of the Kevin 'Gerbil'  Carroll murder squad - who police believe was the assassins' getaway driver. Victor Gallagher, 39, is thought to have been at the wheel of the motor for the underworld execution outside an Asda supermarket. Gunman Billy Paterson - part of the notorious Lyons crime gang - was recently convicted of the shooting  and caged for at least 22 years. But Gallagher has not faced any charges over the gangland slaying in Robroyston, Glasgow, in 2010. One senior police source said: " Everything pointed towards Gallagher being involved in some way but he has managed to stay under the radar. "It's believed that Gallagher did not shoot Carroll but it was claimed he was the driver of the VW Golf which took the two Lyons gang gunmen to and  from Asda. " The murder was the culmination of a decade-long war between the Lyons and Daniel gangs. Paterson's friend Ross Monaghan, 33,

Drug dealer busted with £300,000 of cocaine is behind a drone company which has been bankrolled with taxpayers' cash ... Kieran Hope's firm won funding from the Oil and Gas Technology Centre ... But critics say it is 'unacceptable' to keep details secret from the public

A DRUG dealer caught with £300,000 worth of cocaine in a police organised crime operation has been given taxpayers’ money to grow his drone business. Kieran Hope, 29, was handed a three-year prison sentence in 2014 and two years later launched Air Control Entech (ACE) which uses drones to conduct inspections in the oil and gas industry. A year later, he secured backing from The Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) which is funded by the Scottish and UK governments, academia and industry. There are no rules against convicted criminals from receiving public money but concerns have been raised over the OGTC’s refusal to disclose how much it gave to Hope’s firm. Hope ... boss of Air Control Entech In response to STV News , they said that all such deals are subject to ‘ non disclosure agreements ’ (NDA) which  are typically used in legal agreements to protect commercially sensitive information. NDAs came in for criticism when high street retail tycoon Sir Phi

TAXI BLAZE THREAT RAP OF COCAINE GANGSTER … ex-Royal Regiment of Scotland lance corporal accused of terrorising Glasgow Private Hire taxi firm staff … thug faces jail over firearms

A FORMER soldier who supplied British Army explosives to the Daniel crime clan was accused of threatening to torch the HQ of Scotland's biggest cab firm. Martyn Fitzsimmons, 37, allegedly terrorised staff at Glasgow Private Hire (GPH), which is owned by Paisley businessman Stevie Malcolm, 54. The former lance corporal in the Royal Regiment of Scotland is said to have made the threat in a call to the firm's office in the city's east end in March. Fitzsimmons faces a lengthy jail term as a senior member of a cocaine gang which police say was " at the top of the chain " in Scotland. He and eight other men pled guilty to a string of charges involving guns, drugs and violence and will be sentenced in  January  2018. The ex-squaddie was accused of making the call to Malcolm's office along with the attempted murder of Lyons mob thug Ross Monaghan outside a primary school in Penilee, Glasgow, in January. But in a deal with prosecutors, his not

ABOUT >>>>>

Russell Findlay is an investigations journalist reporting on law, politics, health, business and crime.  He is also the author of non-fiction books. A fter 25 years with various newspapers he can now be found at STV News

JUDGES FOR SALE: Special investigation into top lawmen being lured with big money jobs in Qatar and the UAE ... Lord McGhie has been with Abu Dhabi court for past two years while ALSO sitting in the Court of Session in Edinburgh ... Veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, cross-party MSPs and Dubai torture victim accuse them of legitimising despotic regimes ...

TOP judges are accused of selling the reputation of Scottish justice by working for Middle East countries with toxic human rights records. Two judges are on the payroll of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where domestic violence against women is legal and where regime critics are tortured and jailed without trial. The most senior is Lord Hope of Craighead — Scotland’s former top judge, a member of the House of Lords and ex-deputy president of the UK Supreme Court. Our investigation found that Lord McGhie has been registered to sit in the UAE for the past two years while he was also dispensing justice at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Veteran human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: " It seems highly inappropriate for Scotland's previous top judge and former deputy president of the UK Supreme Court to work for the UAE given its poor human rights record. “He is giving legitimacy to the UAE's legal system which does not conform to international stan

Police Scotland's former chief constable allegedly told to 'hire a Scot' as his deputy ... Phil Gormley warned there would be 'political problems' if he did not ... The order left him 'deeply troubled' ... But what did PIRC and the SPA do about the discrimination claim? ... SNP government ministers face questions about alleged meddling in policing

FORMER chief constable Phil Gormley was warned there could be ‘ political problems ’ if a Scottish candidate was not hired as one of his deputies. The former head of Police Scotland claims that the order came from Andrew Flanagan, then chairman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), during a discussion about a vacant post for a deputy chief constable. During the meeting last September, Gormley was allegedly told ‘ there would be major presentational and political problems if either of the two internal (Scottish) candidates were passed over given how this would impact on the proportion of senior officers who were of Scottish national origin ’. In a document seen by The Times newspaper, Gormley said: “ He [Flanagan] indicated that Scottish Government were party to these concerns. As a senior officer of English national origin myself, this concerned me. The national origin of any candidate (from within the United Kingdom) should have no bearing on the selection process.