Spanish cops launch manhunt for hit team that murdered Kinahan allies in Costa del Sol

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2 days ago

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Spanish cops have launched a manhunt for a hit team that murdered two Scottish allies of mob boss Daniel Kinahan outside an Irish pub on the Costa del Sol.
And underworld sources last night said Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan - shot dead on Saturday night - were key members of the gang that worked with Kinahan, 47, on a massive cocaine shipment that was seized by the Army Ranger Wing off the south coast almost two years ago. They claimed the gang for which the men worked teamed up with the Kinahan cartel to organise the huge, 2.5-tonne shipment of cocaine - worth up to €450 million on the streets - seized by the ARW on the MV Matthew off the Wexford coast in September 2023.
Eight men have pleaded guilty over the MV Matthew plot - and are due to be sentenced at the non jury Special Criminal Court in Dublin later this week. Sources say gardai are satisfied the killing of the two Scottish criminals outside a bar in Fuengirola was not connected to the MV Matthew haul - or the Kinahan cartel itself.
Instead, they are believed to have been targeted as part of an ongoing feud between Scottish gangs. Underworld sources claim crime kingpins Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were shot dead after watching the Champions League final at Monaghan's Pub in Fuengirola.
According to local reports, a masked gunman jumped out of a vehicle at 11.30pm, fired several rounds at the entrance of the bar, striking one of the men in the chest and the other in the chest and abdomen. The gunman then fled in the same vehicle which was driven by an accomplice - leaving tourists and expats in the bar terrified.
Sources say the shootings are linked to Scotland's ongoing gangland war which has seen attacks on homes and properties linked to Glasgow's Daniel crime clan. Monaghan, who fled ­Scotland in 2017, is listed as the proprietor of the bar in an online business directory. Spanish authorities confirmed the two men killed were Scottish.
Harrowing images from the scene show a man lying lifeless on his back in shorts and a T-shirt, next to a chalkboard on a terrace outside the Irish bar. In other disturbing images, police and paramedics can be seen surrounding the body of one of the victims, thought to be the same man, after he was covered under a blanket as shocked locals and holidaymakers looked on.
The police set up roadblocks after the shooting to try to catch those responsible. A spokesman for the Spanish National Police in Malaga said: "Around midnight an incident with firearms occurred in Fuengirola, specifically at an entertainment venue along the seafront.
"Two males died as a result from gunshot wounds. The ­investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made so far."
Monaghan was previously cleared of the murder of notorious Glasgow hood Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll, who was shot dead in a gangland assassination in the Asda Robroyston carpark in 2010. He was tried for the killing, but was acquitted in May 2012. He was also cleared of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of the two guns used in the shooting and torching the getaway car.
In August 2017, Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were both cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs. The brutal ambush left one of the victim's ears hanging off.
However, the case collapsed after prosecutors withdrew the charges against them following two days of evidence. Monaghan had also survived a previous murder attempt.
In 2017 he was shot by a gunman disguised as a pram pushing dad outside St George's Primary School in Glasgow. Eddie Lyons jnr was a key figure in his family's crime clan with his brother Steven Lyons now living in Dubai - where he is said to be close to Daniel Kinahan, who is holed up there with hisfarther Christy, 67, and brother Christopher, 44.
"Steve Lyons is very close with Daniel," a source said last night. "They worked together on the (MV Matthew) and after it was busted, Steve fled Britain to Dubai.
"He linked up with Daniel over there. They are close." The shock Costa Del Sol killings come amidst a violent gang war that has been raging in Scotland since March.
The feud first erupted following a fallout between rival gangsters after a €600k stash of cocaine was reportedly swiped from under the nose of Dubai-based Mr Big, Ross McGill. The drugs were reportedly taken by caged Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson's foot soldiers sparking a series of violent attacks on homes and businesses.
McGill has waged war on Richardson and his associates, including the Daniel crime clan in Glasgow. Mr Big's enforcers, a faceless and frightening group going by the name of Tamo Junto (TMJ), have carried out a series of fire bombings and other vicious attacks on homes, businesses and cars associated with Richardson and the Daniel clan. Last week it emerged that McGill had agreed to end hostilities after being leaned on by cartel bosses in Dubai.
However gangland enforcers Tamo Junto (TMJ) quickly quashed any talk of peace as they vowed to continue to carry out the turf war. A video released by the TMJ crime gang on Friday last week stated that anyone linked to the Daniel Clan or Mark Richardson remains a target for their group.
They said: "TMJ will continue to target anyone associated with the Daniel family or Mark Richardson. There will never be a truce between TMJ and the Gremlins.
"We have terrorised you since March and will continue to do so." The Lyons crime gang was said to have pulled out of the feud over concerns about the police crack down.
The clan were allegedly feeding McGill information about their rivals, the Daniel family, but boss Steven Lyons, 44, made the call to concentrate on his own interests. A source said he issued the order over fears his enforcers could be arrested and jailed and his family would lose their grip on power in the north of Glasgow.
Meanwhile, witnesses relived their horror after being caught up in the shooting of the two Scottish gangsters outside the Irish bar in Fuengirola. A local living near the scene told local paper Malaga Hoy: "I thought they were going to me kill me too.
"I thought I was hearing fireworks at first but then saw the noise was coming from someone firing a gun." A Chinese expat who owns a shop next to the bar said: "It was about 11.30pm when I heard a noise coming from next door.
"I looked out and saw a man pointing at something and shooting." Saying he saw other customers run for their lives as the attack occurred and a family walking by took refuge in his shop, he added: "I didn't look at the gunman's face or whether he left on a motorbike or in a car, I just remember I saw the weapon.
"I was in shock, I didn't how to react." Workers at a nearby beach bar and restaurant also told how how families with children took refuge inside after the shooting started.
One said: "I didn't see anything because we focused on crouching down and staying safe, but it was a very frightening experience. Obviously all the customers we had left as soon as it was safe to do so."
There are now fears that the Lyons gang will seek bloody retribution for the double slaying - either in Spain or Scotland.
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