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Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
How a drug theft sparked bloody gangland war between Daniels and Lyons
Decades of gangland war between the two families began with a cocaine theft in 2001. It was the summer of 2001 and Tony Blair had just won a second term in government for Labour. The movie version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was about to be released and The Life of Pi was the year's best-selling book. Over in the tough Milton housing scheme in Glasgow a plot of a different kind was unfolding. A large stash of cocaine worth about £20,000 belonging to the feared Daniel crime family had been stolen from a safe house on the estate that summer. It had gone missing at a house party at the address. The coke, unsurprisingly, was not returned or paid for. The Daniel family then learned the drugs had either been sold to or appropriated by a rival organised crime group, the Lyons. At the time both were battling for control of the drugs trade on the north side of the city. Head of the Daniel family was the formidable Jamie Daniel, one of four brothers from the city's Possilpark. On the other side the Lyons were led by Eddie Lyons snr. He ran a community centre called Chirnsyde in Milton. It was claimed a group based there called the Club Boys – which included his son Steven – had orchestrated the theft. In the organised crime world a drugs debt, no matter how small, must be paid. Failure to do so can result in a loss of face. Jamie Daniel knew that. A wave of attacks by the Daniels followed as they fought to maintain their control of the area's drugs trade. The response was orchestrated by 24-year-old Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll – an up-and-coming figure in the Daniel clan close to Jamie Daniel and in a relationship with his daughter Kelly. First, the Daniel crew tried to shoot Steven Lyons outside a pub in Lambhill, Glasgow, in September 2001 – but the gunman missed. They then turned their attention to the Chirnsyde centre. It was torched causing £30,000 of damage and had its minibus trashed. Carroll was in turn blasted twice in the leg with a sawn-off shotgun outside his mum's house in Milton in January 2003 but survived. Just 11 days later, Eddie Lyons's brother Johnny, 49, was shot outside his home in nearby Stornoway Street. The wallet in his back pocket took the impact and the doctors think that may have saved him. In April 2006, as the feud continued, Carroll drove to Cumbernauld where he blasted another of Lyons's sons, Eddie Lyons jnr, at his door but failed to kill him. Then in November that year, Carroll allegedly used a tow rope to topple the headstone of Eddie snr's late son Garry, who was only eight when he died of leukaemia in 1991. The desecration of his grave marked a new low in the escalating conflict. Carroll had crossed a line but was still not satisfied. Two days later he ambushed and attempted to shoot Eddie Lyons jnr for a second time, in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. Lyons suffered minor injuries when his own car rolled over him. A henchman was hit with at least one round but survived. Eight days later the Lyons struck back when Carroll was shot along with close associate Ross Sherlock in Clelland Avenue, a residential street in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow. Carroll suffered serious injuries as he was hit in the stomach from close range. Sherlock was hit in the legs. The violence culminated in one of the most brazen murders the city had ever seen. On Wednesday, December 6, 2006, a blue Mazda car drew up outside Applerow Motors in Balmore Road, Lambhill, shortly after 2pm. The garage was owned by David Lyons, brother of Eddie snr, and was operated by both him and his nephew Mark. Two men in black overcoats and 'old men' face masks and brandishing handguns got out and opened fire in what was later described in court as being like a scene from The Godfather. Eleven shots were fired, leaving mechanic Michael Lyons dead, and his cousin Steven Lyons and Lyons associate Robert Pickett, 41, seriously injured. Lyons was in plaster for up to 12 weeks with a broken leg and required part of a bullet to be removed from his back. Robert Pickett, who had served time for attempted murder, was left in a coma for a month and lost a kidney after being shot in the stomach. A bloody gangland feud which had largely been conducted in the shadows was now headline news. Two Daniel associates – Raymond Anderson, 46, and James McDonald, 34 – stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow in March 2008. The court heard David Lyons received a 'ransom note' at his home after the murder demanding £25,000 – the current value of the allegedly stolen cocaine. It read: 'The boys owe me £25,000 and I want what's owed to me. It's for drugs. They all know what it's about. The money doesn't matter to me as it's got to be paid to the piper.' Lyons didn't pay the money and handed the letter to the police. The multiple shooting which lasted only a few minutes had taken place yards from a special needs school. Ironically the school was to be the venue for a public meeting for people to air their growing fears about rising crime and gangland violence in the area. Already concerns had been raised about the role of the Lyons in the running of Chirnsyde and the £1.4million in taxpayers' cash it had received over the years. The murderous events would lead to the closure of the centre and funding finally being withdrawn. High levels of security were put in place throughout the trial which finished in May 2008. The case was heard in court No3 – which has been designed for terrorist accused – and people entering had to pass through a metal detector and police checks. Both Anderson and McDonald were convicted of illegal possession of guns and ammunition, the attempted murder of Steven Lyons and Robert Pickett, and Michael Lyons's murder. They had been heard in secret conversations taped by police talking about the 'piper' mentioned in the letter sent to David Lyons. At the time Campbell Corrigan was a detective superintendent with Strathclyde Police and was in charge of the Applerow murder investigation. He became aware of the Daniel clan influence as far back as the 80s when he was a young detective in Govan, Glasgow and saw their rise to power in the city as he built his own career. Campbell retired in 2013. He was the force's last chief constable before Police Scotland was formed. He told the Record: 'The victim Michael Lyons was an innocent member of the family who just got caught in the Crossfire. 'I was aware of the connection with Gerbil to Jamie Daniel's daughter and he directed a lot of the violence that had occurred. When you think of the Lyons on one side and the Daniels on the other side, it is a pretty long-running Glasgow feud.' He also described how his team had to overcome 'fear in the community' over speaking out about both the Lyons and Daniel families. He added: 'These were guys not to be trifled with. It will take a very concerted effort before you are able to undermine them.' After the jury's verdict, judge Lord Hardie branded MichaelLyons's murder a 'a cold-blooded, premeditated assassination'. Lord Hardie ordered the men to serve 35 years each before they could be considered for parole, the highest tariff ever set by a Scottish court. The terms were reduced on appeal to 30. However if the judge thought the tough sentences would stop the carnage, he was mistaken. Less than two years later Scotland would be shocked by a murder that took the long-running feud to terrifying new levels. Tomorrow: We tell how the feud reaches a new and terrifying level when a high-level Daniel gang member is shot dead in a busy supermarket car park in front of shoppers and their young children. We also tell how two men stand trial for the brazen lunchtime murder with one sensationally walking free.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Golfers 'traumatised' after being caught up in brutal assassination of gangsters
The shooting of gangsters, Eddie Lyons and Ross Monaghan, at an Irish bar on the Costa del Sol in Spain this weekend, is believed to be linked to an ongoing brutal gang war in Scotland A gangster's Scottish 'golf buddies' were with him in Spain on a sunshine holiday when he was gunned down in a ruthless assassination. Mob boss Eddie Lyons Jnr was on a trip with pals from Dullatur Golf Club when he was gunned down along with associate Ross Monaghan in the Costa del Sol. The golfers have been left 'traumatised' after being caught up in the mob violence while enjoying their trip to Spain with Lyons, sources have revealed. They had joined Eddie Lyons at Ross Monaghan's Irish bar in Fuengirola to watch the Champions League Final on Saturday. It is understood that some of the golfers were still in the bar when Lyons and Monaghan were executed. Sources have confirmed the golfers have nothing to do with criminality - but saw Eddie as a stalwart member of their golf club. Prestigious Dullatur Golf Club, near Kilsyth, has been flying flags at half mast this week as a mark of respect for long-standing member Lyons jnr, who was brought up in a house near the course. The murdered gangland kingpin has previously proudly posed with fellow members in photographs that have been shared on social media. A source said: 'Accounts of Eddie Lyons going to Spain for some kind of gangland summit are untrue. The truth is that the golf trip is one that has happened in previous years and he signed up for it well in advance with mates. The boys get out to Spain and have a laugh and play some good courses. 'They had been there for several days and wanted to go to the Champions League Final, so Eddie arranged for him and a few others to go along to a bar that was owned by his mate. He arranged that he would catch up with Ross Monaghan there and they were having a bog-standard, social evening night until all hell broke loose.' The golfing party, of more than a dozen players, also included members from nearby clubs, some of whom were in different nearby bars. After the double murder, a video soon emerged that showed a man leaning over stricken gangster Lyons. It is believed this was a golfer who was a friend of the dead man. Another horrific video showed Ross Monaghan fleeing from the gunman inside the bar, who had emerged from a car nearby before first attacking Lyons. Monaghan, 43, ran from the outside terrace area to the indoor bar, where he was chased then viciously shot down. The source said: 'It is believed that the hit was organised for Ross Monaghan and it's likely that it was just chance that brought Eddie Lyons to the bar that night. It's hard to see how he could have been part of the plan. 'It is also likely that the gunman had been watching the bar to see, primarily, if Ross Monaghan was there. It's not known if the gunman would have known what Eddie Lyons looked like in advance but, one way or another, he has worked out who is in attendance and acted fast and ruthlessly. 'This is not a double execution that was planned well in advance. A window of opportunity opened and that is why it turned into a double murder." It is believed that some golfing pals of Lyons were spoken to by Spanish police and may later be asked by specialist organised crime officers in Spain for a more detailed account of what happened on that night. Other golfers who were with Lyons for the golf trip were also close friends of Andy 'Dumbo' Gallacher - who was also a member at Dullatur but died in prison in 2021. The current gang war centres around a reported fall-out between Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson and Dubai-based Ross McGill, a former Rangers 'ultras' fan leader, now associated with a sinister 'Tamo Junto' group. It is claimed that McGill was ripped off for £500,000 in a drug deal. Several people linked to Richardson and his allies in Glasgow's Daniel crime mob have been targeted, with homes, businesses and associates hit by firebombs and people attacked with knives. The Tamo Junto (TMJ) has circulated videos and issued messages to taunt their rivals. Several cars have been set ablaze and drive-by shootings have left bullet holes in doors and windows. A nasty home invasion in north Glasgow left a young boy and an older woman – both related to the Daniel family – bloodied and battered. The incessant attacks led to speculation that Richardson and the Daniel mob were 'finished'. But the level of violence employed in Fuengirola, with the deadly use of a handgun and the complications of operating across European borders, has escalated the war. The Tamo Junto gang have blamed the Lyons's Scottish rivals for the execution. Police Scotland has said there is 'nothing to suggest' the shooting of Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan was planned in Scotland. Both Lyons and Monaghan had previously survived attempts on their lives. Eddie Lyons was shot in the face at his home in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, in 2006. Monaghan was cleared over the 2010 execution of Daniel enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, who was gunned down in a car outside Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow. He moved to Spain after surviving a previous murder bid when he was shot outside a primary school in Penilee, Glasgow, in 2017. On Saturday Lyons was shot in the chest at point-blank range and died instantly. At least four bullets were fired at Monaghan inside. A source at Dullatur Golf Club, which charges £950 a year for membership, confirmed that the club's flags had been put at half mast after Eddie Lyons's death. The source said: 'It has been a tradition for more than 100 years that we gave people that respect when they pass. That respect would be given to all members. People at the club are shocked at what happened. Our members are interested in playing golf and what happened in Spain is another world entirely.'
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish tourists 'rushing to leave' Spain after deadly shooting in popular bar
The recent fatal shooting of two men at an Irish bar in Spain's popular Costa del Sol tourist resort has sent shockwaves through holidaymakers, including many from Ireland who frequently visit the region. Spanish authorities have confirmed investigations are underway into the incident, which is one of several shootings reported in the area recently. The victims, identified as Eddie Lyons and Ross Monaghan, are believed to be associates of the Kinahan cartel and major players in Glasgow's Lyons crime clan. Police Scotland have declined to comment further on whether the attack is linked to criminal activity in the UK. Reports indicate that Ross Monaghan owned the Irish bar named after him, where the shooting took place. The incident has raised concerns among Irish and British tourists and expatriates about safety in what is usually considered a lively and popular holiday destination, Chronicle Live reports. David Meddicks from Glasgow, who had left the bar with his wife just hours before the shooting, recalled the chaotic scenes to the BBC saying: "We went back to our hotel for food and later on at the reception of the hotel, two wee Spanish women ran in, shouting 'bang, bang, bang, bang'. We looked and we could see the police and all the blue lights. We had been thinking of going back down for another drink and decided not to bother. So I'm quite glad I didn't." An Englishman who been in the pub also told the publication: "We were there an hour before and walked back later and found out what happened. It made us want to go home, to be quite honest. You go away on holiday and you don't expect this. Really frightening." The attack happened in broad daylight, with the masked gunman firing at close range in front of stunned bystanders. Another tourist, Robert Sorman from Bathgate, commented: "You've heard of the Costa Del Crime but you never expect it to happen when you're here." Those familiar with Monaghan's bar described it as a friendly spot popular with visitors to the BBC. The violent act has prompted a response from Fuengirola's mayor Ana Mula, who met with local and national police to address rising concerns. She stated: "We live in a world and at a time where crime knows no borders. In places like the Costa del Sol, we're seeing developments that, as they spread, inevitably affect us. We need much greater involvement from the state on this issue. I intend to be relentless in demanding action on this. It's a top priority for our community and our city." Meanwhile, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it had not yet been contacted for consular assistance regarding the shooting but is prepared to help if requested. This comes as the FCDO recently issued travel updates for Turkey and Greece following a major earthquake.
Scottish Sun
01-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scots mansion firebombed as cops probe whether attack is linked to deadly gang war
It's understood detectives are keeping an open mind on whether it is linked to the vicious gang war HOME HORROR Scots mansion firebombed as cops probe whether attack is linked to deadly gang war Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COPS are probing whether a firebomb attack on a million pound villa is linked to Scotland's deadly gang war. The sprawling home was torched late on Saturday night just minutes after the double execution of gangsters Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons jnr in Spain. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The damage could be seen from the street A window at the mansion in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire, was smashed and smoke damage could be clearly seen from the road. It's understood detectives are keeping an open mind on whether the latest fire bombing at 11.25pm on KIlbarchan Road is linked to the vicious gang war. Detective Sergeant Kenny Taggart, of Police Scotland, said: 'The fire was set alight within a residential area and caused considerable distress & alarm to nearby residents. 'Thankfully, there were no reports of any injuries. 'I am appealing to anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious in the local area to contact us. 'I would ask residents in the Bridge of Weir area and surrounding villages who have video doorbell, CCTV or possible dash cam footage to review it, as it may have captured something that can assist our enquiries.' It comes after we revealed gangsters Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr are believed to have been murdered in a deadly double assassination. Sources say the duo were gunned down outside a boozer run by Monaghan, in Malaga, Spain. Spanish cops are probing the slaughter which comes amid a raging gang war in Scotland. A source close to the notorious Lyons mob confirmed both men had been killed in the brutal Costa Del Sol hit. Another insider said: 'This takes things to another level but it's not clear if it's linked to the Scottish feud or to another dispute with gangsters from another group.'
