Edinburgh men appear in court over gang war 'gun find' and 'firebombing'
Two Edinburgh men have appeared in court following the recovery of a gun and an alleged firebombing in the city.
Police investigating a spate of serious incidents in Edinburgh and Glasgow linked to an ongoing gangland war have now made 45 arrests as they continue to crackdown on the violent feud.
Liam McDermid and Denin Mackenzie were taken into custody by officers and appeared at the capital's sheriff court on Monday.
McDermid, 25, was arrested and charged after a firearm was found on the city's Roseburn Path following a huge police operation. The walkway was taped off for nearly a week before the gun was recovered.
As the Daily Record reports, he appeared in the dock to face a charge relating to being involved in serious organised crime under Section 28(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.
He made no plea and was remanded into custody.
Raids also took place at addresses in South Queensferry and Edinburgh after a vehicle was firebombed while parked on Peacocktail Close in Edinburgh on Friday, May 16.
Mackenzie, of Edinburgh, was taken into custody by police and appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, June 16, where he faced five charges.
The 22-year-old was charged with two counts of knife possession, one charge of wilful fireraising and one charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive way and one of vandalism.
The vandalism charge was in relation to a property. He made no plea and was remanded into custody.
Both men are expected to appear in the dock again next week.
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On Monday detectives arrested another man in connection with an alleged firebombing on March 6 at Edinburgh beauty salon Belle Cheveux. The owner of the premises has previously been linked to Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson.
The force said a dedicated team of officers from the Specialist Crime Division are continuing to crackdown on spiralling violence across Scotland's two biggest cities.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: "Our continued activity and arrests show our commitment to targeting organised crime and bringing those responsible to justice.
"We continue to investigate and follow a number of positive lines of enquiry. The support and response from the public has been excellent, and I am grateful for the assistance given to us.
"That continued support from local communities is crucial as we progress our enquiries. If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
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