Dubai-based gangster Ross McGill was a ‘promising athlete' coached by Tory MSP
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
DRUGS mob boss Ross McGill was a teen 100m ace who ran for Scotland, we can reveal.
The hood, 31, who kicked off the country's bloody gangland turf war, was coached at Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, by ex-Olympian Brian Whittle, 61, now a Tory MSP.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Mob boss Ross McGill was a teen 100m ace who ran for Scotland
3
The hood, 31, was coached at Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire by ex-Olympian Brian Whittle, now a Tory MSP
Credit: Alamy
3
BRAZEN mobsters have torched the cars of rival gang members
But we can reveal McGill quit track sport after one appearance for his country when he was 17 — and is now a feared hood known as 'Miami' who sparked a bloody underworld turf war.
McGill, 31, of East Kilbride, changed tack to get involved in drugs deals and mayhem more than a decade after he ran for Renfrewshire athletics club Kilbarchan.
He set a highly impressive personal best time for 100m of just over 11 seconds while being trained by the former Team GB ace Mr Whittle.
The MSP for South Scotland since 2016 said of McGill: 'I remember him as a decent athlete in his mid-teens with potential.
'But he did not stay in the training group for long.'
We can reveal an image of a fresh-faced McGill wearing a Scotland vest at a meet in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
A source said: 'He came second in the 100m at the Celtic games on August 13, 2011.
'He only represented Kilbarchan AC for one year then disappeared. It was very odd because at the time he seemed like he was going to be a really successful athlete.
'But people who knew him remember he did seem a lot more interested in Rangers than track and field.'
McGill, exposed by us as the gang war Mr Big, went on to lead the Union Bears Rangers ultras and was pictured with ex-Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard.
The INSIDE story of Scotland's biggest gangster - Jamie 'The Iceman' Stevenson
He is said to be behind a mob called Tamo Junto who have been waging war against caged Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson, 38, and the notorious Daniel crime family.
Insiders say dealers paid McGill in fake cash for a £500,000 cocaine deal after seeing him as 'a nobody'.
Tamo Junto has claimed responsibility for firebombings and machete attacks in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Cops have made 48 arrests so far.
Mr Whittle won 4x400m relay gold at two European Championships and competed at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Celtic star shares adorable throwback pic of him in his first Hoops kit that ‘he wanted to wear all the time'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT'S every kid's dream to one day play for the team you support as a youngster. It's a dream that's become a reality for one current Celtic star. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 4 The Celtic star shared the throwback pic Credit: INSTAGRAM/@CELTICFC 4 Luke McCowan took part in a fans' Q&A Credit: INSTAGRAM/@CELTICFC 4 McCowan is now living the dream at Parkhead Credit: Kenny Ramsay Luke McCowan grew up a huge Hoops fan and just a few years ago, pulling on the green and white hoops for real would've still seemed a rather unlikely ambition. The midfield ace was plucked from local football by Ayr United as a 19-year old in 2017. He was famously still working as a lifeguard at a local leisure centre in Greenock before landing his professional contract. McCowan enjoyed a breakout year at Somerset Park in the 2019/20 season and landed a big move to the Scottish Premiership with Dundee in 2021. A stellar campaign in the 2023/24 season saw him strike 10 goals from midfield and he landed his dream move to Parkhead the following year. McCowan went on to score seven goals in 41 games across all competitions as Celtic won a league and cup double. He also struck a dramatic late winner on the opening day of this season as the champions beat St Mirren 1-0. Having grown up a Hoops fan, he's very much now living his boyhood dream. And while he now pulls on the Celts kit for real every week, he's shared a throwback pic from more than TWENTY years ago when those ambitions very much were a distant dream. McCowan took part in a Q&A on Celtic's social media channels and one fan asked him what the first Hoops kit he owned was. That saw him cast his mind back all the way to 2003. Ex-Celtic star goes wild as he does the huddle at Oasis gig with 70,000 fans McCowan joked: "No doubt probably the day I left the hospital my mum and dad had us in Celtic kit!" He then explained: "But the one I can remember is the 2003/04 Carling. "I put a picture up of me standing like that (arms outstretched) and I've got the Celtic Carling 2003 top on and I've got the bandanna on my head. "That's the first one I can remember wanting to wear all the time and wanting to put on. 4 "That's probably somewhere as well in my mum and dad's loft stinking!" Celtic then shared the very same picture on their Instagram stories, exactly as McCowan remembered it! The 2003/04 campaign was a memorable one for the Hoops who romped to the SPL title. Losing just two games all league season, Martin O'Neill's men reached 98 points and finished 17 points ahead of Rangers. Have YOU got a point for Kris Boyd? SOMETHING you've just got to get off your chest from the weekend action? A burning Scottish football talking point you can't wait to bring up with Kris Boyd and Roger Hannah? SunSport's GoBallistic show wants to hear from you! So why not help set the Scottish football agenda for the week ahead! Have your say on the game's big topics by emailing us on: GoBallistic@ It's YOUR turn to Go Ballistic! Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Michael Phelps hits out at ‘broken' USA Swimming
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 23 gold medals and 28 in total, has called out the 'poor leadership' with USA Swimming and demanded an overhaul of the 'broken system' for US swimmers. In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Phelps argued that 'cracks in the system' at USA Swimming have grown over the last nine years, since his retirement, which has resulted in less success with fewer avenues for athletes to develop. Phelps also revealed that he and previous Olympians had sent a letter of their concerns to USA Swimming earlier this year. Whilst admitting he is grateful for what swimming has given to him, Phelps also called out a culture were it was expected athletes would 'stay quiet and to keep the peace'. The 40-year-old has called for an independent review of USA Swimming's Board of Directors and has offered his services to improve the sport from competitive to grassroots level. His statement reads: 'First, I must be clear that I have the utmost respect for the U.S. swimmers that competed at World Championships. My criticism is in no way directed at them – I know how hard they work and how honoured they are to represent the US National Team. My criticism is about the system, its leadership, and how it's failing. 'There have always been cracks in the system but in the last nine years, I've seen those cracks grow. In 2016, I had the honour to be part of a US swim team in Rio that was arguably the most successful in the sport's history and we won 57% of the medals we had the opportunity to win. Fast forward eight years to Paris, where Team USA won only 44% of the medals they had the opportunity to win in the pool, the lowest percentage the sport had seen since the 1988 Olympics. 'I've asked myself what's changed in our sport and the answer is clear… this isn't on the athletes as they continue to do the best they can with what they've been given. This is on the leadership of USA Swimming. Poor leadership trickles down and can impact an organisation at every level. 'I spent most of my life inside a system that is supposed to support athletes. I gave it my everything, but I often felt that my voice went unheard. I was told to be grateful for the chance to compete and that it was more important to stay quiet and keep the peace. 'I spoke up earlier this year when I sent a letter to USA Swimming. It was also shared with the United States Olympic & Paraympic Committee. It addressed many of my frustrations with the current state of the sport and was signed and supported by former Olympic medalists, world record holders, members of the coaching community, and current and previous members of USA Swimming. That letter seemed to fall on deaf ears. No one really wants to talk about how broken USA Swimming has become... 'Money is a factor. But poor operational controls and weak leadership are a cornerstone of the sport's problems. I've watched too many teammates struggle to compete in a sport they love without the support they need. I've also seen the sport struggle to return its membership numbers to pre-pandemic levels, and I'm done pretending this system works just because it produces medals... 'Swimming to me was always about more that just medals – it's supposed to be an environment that builds champions in and out of the pool. 'As a Dad to four young boys, it pains me to say that I'm not sure if I'd want my sons to be a part of this sport at a competitive level. Yes, swimming changed my life, but it also caused a lot of heartache, and its current state makes me both sad and angry. I want to see this sport flourish and I want to be a part of the solution. I've always said that I wanted to change the sport of swimming in the U.S. and that sentiment still holds true... 'I still care and I'm not ready to give up. I don't have all the answers but I know this: we need accountability. We need transparency. We need athlete voices at the centre, not in the margins. We need systemic change.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Robert Jenrick accuses French police of ignoring migrants in Calais
Robert Jenrick has accused French police of failing to act after he reported dozens of migrants with life jackets who were preparing to cross the Channel. The shadow justice secretary contacted the authorities after spotting a group of about 50 people holding life jackets at a bus stop near Calais. But Mr Jenrick was told by an emergency call operator that they 'do not think that [the police] would come', and no officer ever turned up. The Tory frontbencher was also forced to cut short his visit to Loon-Plage migrant camp - located between Calais and Dunkirk - when a man 'started throwing glass bottles' that only narrowly missed him. A total of 474 people crossed the Channel in eight small boats on Monday, as the illegal migration crisis continues to worsen under Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Government. In a video shared by Mr Jenrick, he could be seen spotting a group of '60 or 70 migrants holding life jackets' at about 8.30pm on Sunday. The group was gathered at a bus stop with no sign of the French police and eventually boarded a bus despite not having any tickets. Mr Jenrick and his team then followed the bus to Dunkirk, saying: 'We think they're in a little passageway behind these houses. The beach is just there.' There was no sign of the group by just after 4am in the morning, suggesting they had boarded a small boat and attempted to cross the Channel. 'At daybreak, we find the migrants have gone,' Mr Jenrick said in the clip. 'We don't know where. There's still no sign of any police. So I ring them.' During his phone call to the police, Mr Jenrick said: 'I'm in Dunkirk and I saw a large group of maybe 40 or 50 illegal migrants in the cemetery off the main road by the beach.' A female call operator responded: 'He does not think that they're going to come, but he's going to give the information to the police, then the police will decide.' Mr Jenrick then confirmed no police officers arrived despite the three-year Anglo-French deal, first agreed in March 2023, to double the number of French officers on beaches. He said: 'We've given £800 million to France and we didn't see a police officer the whole day, and now we just phoned them and it doesn't sound like they'll even bother to come out.' Elsewhere in the video, Mr Jenrick said Britons were 'told that these are refugees' in small boats, but that differed from his experience at the migrant camps. When he asked one man if he thought he was going to be able to live in London if he crossed the Channel, the man nodded his head. A second migrant who Mr Jenrick spoke to said he was not worried about getting on a small boat and making the dangerous journey across the Channel. In an article for The Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said: 'What I saw in the camps, in the streets and on the beaches was sickening. 'I've been following this for years now, but the reality today is the worst I've ever seen it. The whole racket is a disgrace and the French are aiding and abetting it.' Reflecting on his efforts to ensure a police response to the group of would-be Channel migrants, Mr Jenrick said: 'Before daybreak, it became clear the migrants had departed. Their detritus was scattered around. So we hurried to the beach. 'The migrants were either on their way here, had moved to another beach or perhaps today's journey had been called off for some unknowable reason. This wasn't journalism to me or an academic exercise. 'I want to 'stop the boats' – that's why I resigned from the last government – and a launch was now likely imminently. I called the French police, but they were dismissive of me reporting it. Nobody was deployed.' Mr Jenrick said cooperation between the British and French governments on the issue amounted to 'utter farce' on the part of the French response and 'naivety' from Sir Keir. He also claimed that he had to flee the migrant camp after a migrant attacked him with glass bottles, one of which only narrowly missed his head. 'Many were polite to me, although some threatened me with violence,' Mr Jenrick wrote. 'One, a gangster-like character, told me to leave, pressing himself up close to me in an attempt to intimidate me. 'Another made it clear my time in the camp was up and started throwing glass bottles at me. One hit the ground beside me, another skimmed past my head. I was forced to leave hastily.' Earlier in the week, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said he had a knife pulled on him during a visit to a migrant camp near Calais. The shadow cabinet ministers' visits to the camps by the French port city came after the number of small boat crossings under the Labour Government passed 50,000 this week. The site of the original Calais 'jungle' camp was dismantled almost a decade ago, in October 2016, at the height of the European migrant crisis prompted by the civil war in Syria. But new camps, likened to the original, are also home to thousands of migrants, with record numbers of people successfully making the journey from France to the UK in small boats.
