Latest news with #Kinahan
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Former ‘major gangland player' now running mafia-themed restaurant in Dublin
Criminal says his business on Thomas Street, La Cosa Nostra, is '100pc legitimate' Lyons said he 'worked his ass off' to get the restaurant, above, opened Shane Lyons and his La Cosa Nostra restaurant on Thomas Street in Dublin A convicted criminal who was previously classified by gardaí as being a major gangland player is now running a mafia-themed restaurant in the capital's south inner city. Shane Lyons (57), who has a number of convictions, including for drugs trafficking and viciously assaulting two women, denied that his latest business venture was a 'front' for the proceeds of organised crime when he was contacted by the Sunday World. Located in Thomas Street, Lyons's restaurant is called La Cosa Nostra, which is the original name of the Sicilian mafia. Lyons said he 'worked his ass off' to get the restaurant, above, opened The interior of the establishment features posters of multiple American mafia films and TV shows such as The Sopranos and Goodfellas, but Lyons insisted it was all 'tongue in cheek'. 'It is absolutely not a front' and 'is a 100pc legitimate business', Lyons said when asked was there any crime involvement with the business. He insisted he was not being taken advantage of by any gang. He is being monitored, make no mistake about that Sources said gardaí continue to 'keep a very close eye' on Lyons, who said he was no longer involved in criminality. 'He is being monitored, make no mistake about that,' a source said. No one else who works with, or is connected to, the restaurant has any involvement in criminality. Lyons said he 'trades a few cars' as well as owning the restaurant, which employs 12 staff, whom he described as 'amazing'. At one stage, Lyons was one of the most under-threat criminals in Ireland's gangland scene amid tensions with some of the country's most dangerous criminals. In August 2009, Lyons, who was described as a dodgy car dealer, ended up in a dangerous dispute with suspected gangland serial killer Eamon 'The Don' Dunne over a car, which led to a pipe-bomb attack at his then home in Rathfarnham. Gardaí received intelligence that Dunne was planning to murder Lyons, but 'The Don' was shot dead first in a Kinahan cartel-sanctioned killing in a Cabra pub in April 2010. Eamon 'The Don' Dunne Lyons was released from Mountjoy Prison in August, 2012, where he had served a four-year sentence for assaulting his former partner and her friend during a night out. He was previously caught by gardaí importing IR£160,000 of cannabis from South Africa in 2000 – an offence for which he received a four-year jail sentence the following year. Now known as Sean O'Liathain, which is the Irish version of his name, Lyons explained that gardaí had advised him to change his name a number of years ago and that is the name he gives to officers when he is stopped by them. La Cosa Nostra opened last October and Lyons told the Sunday World that he 'worked his absolute arse off' to get the restaurant up and running after two years of planning issues. He claimed his only recent interactions with gardaí were for being stopped for speeding offences and 'stuff like that'. Referring to media reports from 13 years ago that were based on information gathered by gardaí when Lyons's life was under threat, he described them as 'absolute tripe'. It was reported that he was in a dispute with mob boss Troy Jordan (55), who has been linked to criminal figures including John and Geraldine Gilligan, and Martin 'The Viper' Foley over a €1m debt. Denying there was any debt, Lyons said the two men had no issue with each other and even engaged in friendly slagging at a mutual friend's funeral. The police came to me and they said whatever is going on there you need to be careful However, he did admit he had been in a dispute with Eamon 'The Don' Dunne, who was linked to 17 gangland murders before he was assassinated. 'Eamon Dunne was a f**king scumbag, an absolute toe-rag and the police came to me and they said whatever is going on there you need to be careful. I went 'I don't give a f**k, they have my car, I want it back,' he said explaining that an associate of Dunne had stolen his car. He also alleged that a former criminal who he was in dispute with stole everything from his house while he was in jail, including 'all his jocks', his son's DVDs and his parrot. Lyons also spoke about how he fought off four fellow inmates who stabbed him 14 times in an attack in Mountjoy Prison just before his release in 2012. 'I battered the young fellas,' he said. The four-year sentence he was serving at that time related to an attack that left his former girlfriend Fiona Kelly fearing for her life. He also brutally assaulted her friend Kerry Lee Ball. Ms Kelly described Lyons during the attack as 'the face of pure evil'. Shane Lyons and his La Cosa Nostra restaurant on Thomas Street in Dublin Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 21st
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kinahan bagman stalls CAB seizing home saying he can't get quantity surveyor
A convicted Kinahan bagman fighting to stave off the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) from seizing his home has pleaded that he can't get the assistance of a quantity surveyor yet as part of his case. Patrick Lawlor and his wife Leonie are contesting the CAB case against them in which their house on Collins Avenue West in Dublin is being targeted. Patrick was one of three men jailed for seven years in October 2022 following an investigation by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau into a major transnational organised crime gang which took in more than €12m in 2019 and spent €98,000 on encrypted phones in the same year. It was run by George Mitchell, the Dublin criminal known as 'the Penguin' who left the country over 25 years ago and was since targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau, who took almost three quarters of a million euro from him. At a previous High Court hearing, Ms Lawlor told the court she is still living in the family home and had filed affidavits in response to the CAB proceedings against her and her husband to seize the family home. Ms Lawlor also told the court then that her three children are grown up but she is still living in the family home and continues to pay the mortgage from legitimate income. They purchased the house in 2007. However, the CAB case centred on income generated between 2010 and 2020. 18/12/2024 - This house is on Collins Avenue West is currently owned by convicted money launderer Patrick Lawlor and his wife Leonie. (Image: Padraig O'Reilly) Judge Alexander Owens said that there is substantial value embedded in the home that is not the proceeds of crime. Last month the couple were granted legal aid for a junior counsel and a solicitor. At this week's sitting of the High Court, defence counsel for Lawlors' said they have not yet retained 'an expert witness,' and there is 'no agreement as yet.' The expert witness is a quantity surveyor to survey the property. 'They are still engaged with firms and I am suggesting an October date to allow them to engage an expert witness,' counsel said. Counsel for CAB said they are seeking a date in September to reply to the defendants' affidavits and requested the case be put into an October date for mention. Agreeing with the October date, Mr Justice Alexander Owens remarked: 'We need to get on with it.' 13/02/2025 - This is Leonie Lawlor photographed at her home at Collins Avenue West (Image: Padraig O'Reilly) None of the details of CAB's case against the couple have been opened in court. During the sentencing hearing in October 2022 for Lawlor and a taxi driver, Ross Hanway from Ashbourne, Co Meath, who was jailed for four years, Dublin Circuit Court heard that the transactions were lodged in ledgers kept by Patrick Lawlor. Lawlor received monthly cash payments of €5,000 while Hanway was initially paid €1,250, which rose to €4,000 by 2019. The court heard the men were only involved in money laundering and not in drugs. Hanway of The Beeches, Archerstown Demense, Ashbourne, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to possessing €412,000 on May 26, 2020, which was the proceeds of crime while Lawlor of Collins Avenue West, Whitehall, Dublin 9 pleaded guilty to possessing €412,000 on May 26, 2020 which was the proceeds of crime. Lawlor also pleaded guilty to possession of €477,370 in cash, £6,920 Sterling, 1,940 Romanian Lei (approximately €400), 187 Ukrainian Hryvnia Lei (approximately €5) and $3,295 US Dollars. Lawlor further pleaded guilty to possession of an encrypted mobile phone. Judge Melanie Greally said 'it does not take any leap of imagination to infer' that money seized by gardaí had originated from serious criminal activity. She said both Hanway and Lawlor Sr received financial rewards for their roles in the money laundering operation. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
NDTV
6 days ago
- NDTV
Indian-Canadian Gangster Arrested In US For Running Global Drug Operation
Ottawa: An Indian-Canadian gangster has been arrested in the US for running a transnational drug operation along with a notorious Irish gang, local media here reported. The gangster, identified as Opinder Singh Sian, worked with the Irish Kinahan gang to smuggle methamphetamine and fentanyl precursors at an international level, Global News reported on Tuesday. US court documents reveal that Sian was arrested in Nevada last month by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), it said. The court documents also reveal that Sian, supported by Turkish and American criminal organisations, was involved in a conspiracy to import "precursor chemicals from China and export narcotics through the port of Los Angeles to Australia," the report added. Sian, linked with Brothers Keepers in Surrey in British Columbia, was arrested in Arizona, and the affidavit was filed in California, the report said. "A Nevada judge ordered Sian, 37, held in custody pending his transfer to California," Vancouver Sun reported, adding that other suspects in the case have not been charged yet. Sian survived two Surrey shootings in 2008 and 2011. Brothers Keepers is a Canadian organised crime group which has established links with other international gangs. "Vancouver is the centre of gravity for hybrid warfare for transnational organised crime in North America," Scott McGregor, a former military intelligence operator, was quoted as saying by Global News.
Sunday World
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Lilly Gerrard reveals unique baby name after welcoming first child with Lee Byrne
The delighted couple welcomed their first child together earlier this week. Nathan 'Biggie' Little posted his congratulations to the couple Steven Gerrard had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of his first grandchild Lilly and Lee welcomed their first child together this week Lilly Gerrard has revealed the name that she and Dublin boyfriend Lee Byrne picked for their newborn baby girl. The delighted couple welcomed their first child together earlier this week. While they didn't initially reveal the name or gender of their baby, Lily later revealed that they had given their daughter the name Lila Grey. Sharing a photo of her home decorated with balloons and flowers, the daughter of football legend Steven Gerrard wrote: 'Welcome home Lila Grey. love you so much.' Steven Gerrard had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of his first grandchild She later shared a photo of her holding her baby's hand and wrote: 'So lucky to be your mum. My beautiful baby girl Lila Grey. Perfect.' Lilly revealed that she had giving birth after posting a photo of Lee, who is the son of Kinahan crime boss Liam Byrne, carrying his daughter home from hospital. Other photos show former Liverpool captain Steven holding his first grandchild with the caption 'little angel'. Steven previously revealed that he was excitedly awaiting the birth of his first grandchild in July and that his phone screensaver was a photo of the baby's ultrasound. Lilly and Lee have been inundated with messages of congratulations from well wishers on social media, including from Claudine Keane, the wife of former Irish football star Robbie Keane. Nathan 'Biggie' Little posted his congratulations to the couple Lilly also shared a message of congratulations from Lee's close friend Nathan Biggie Little who has been previously described in the High Court as being a 'low-level' member of the Byrne Organised Crime Group. He wrote: 'Congratulations to my bro and Lilly on the birth of there baby.' The message was accompanied by a loveheart emoji. In January, Lilly (21) revealed she was expecting a baby with Lee (25) who she has been in a relationship with for over three years. The happy news came around the same time that Lee's father Liam was released from jail in the UK. He had been sentenced to five years behind bars at the Old Bailey in London after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges related to a gun plot. He had been extradited to the UK in 2023 after his dramatic arrest in Spain. Lee Byrne, Lilly Gerrard Steven Gerrard have no involvement in any crime.
Vancouver Sun
15-07-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Surrey gangster rises to alleged international drug kingpin
When alleged international drug kingpin Opinder Singh Sian tried to get his purported bride into Canada a decade ago, the immigration appeal board ruled it was a sham marriage. The biggest red flag to adjudicator Tim Crowhurst was that the wife, Sukhjeet Kaur Gill, didn't even know Sian had been seriously injured in a 2008 gangland shooting in Surrey. Or that he had a criminal record. 'This background is particularly relevant to this appeal because the applicant was not aware of the appellant's criminal history, nor the shooting, nor his work experience at the time of marriage. The panel finds that this is very important information that would be expected to be shared by two persons entering into a genuine relationship,' Crowhurst said in January 2015, rejecting Sian's appeal to get Gill from India to Canada. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Sian is now facing charges in the U.S. that he was the North American leader of an international drug smuggling organization, moving huge amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl precursors around the globe. At one point during the three-year-long investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Sian allegedly told a confidential source that he worked with 'Irish organized crime, specifically, the Kinahan family, Italian organized crime and other Canadian organized crime groups.' He also boasted about his contacts in drug cartels in Mexico and South America. The Kinahan gang started in Dublin in the 1990s, but is now headquartered in Dubai. It has close ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel. Links to Iran and Hezbollah surfaced during a 2023 cocaine smuggling investigation into the Kinahans. Sian is expected to next appear in a U.S. courtroom July 21. The DEA investigation stretched from Ankara, Turkey, to Australia, with confidential sources and undercover agents on the ground in several countries. The RCMP's liaison officer in Ankara collaborated with the Americans throughout their probe, strategizing on how to infiltrate the global drug trafficking network and leveraging intelligence from B.C. federal policing investigators. Postmedia News has learned that Sian has links to the Brothers Keepers gang, which started in B.C. about a decade ago. But he wasn't a member. The BK is affiliated with both the Hells Angels and the Wolfpack gang coalition — both of which have well-documented international networks. So how could Sian have risen from relative obscurity in B.C. to become the significant player identified in the DEA's case? Mike Porteous, a retired Vancouver police superintendent, said Sian isn't the first B.C. gangster to made his mark internationally in the drug trade. Others like fugitives Ryan Wedding and Robby Alkhalil have also networked on the world stage. Any B.C. gangster 'that has the attributes to actually be successful — intelligence, relationship-building, connections … they can rise,' Porteous said. It isn't so much their criminal organization's links as their individual talents, he said. 'Those kinds of people that build those relationships tend to rise within the hierarchy because they have the skill sets to do the bidding of making money in the drug world.' Once Mexican cartels set up in Canada almost 20 years ago, they saw the opportunity to not only sell their illicit product, but also to remanufacture it and move it overseas from here, Porteous said. 'They needed people to do their bidding within the lucrative markets.' B.C.'s anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit wouldn't comment on Sian's involvement with the Brothers Keepers gang. But media officer Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha said in an email that ' we do not have any active investigation on this person.' Sian's criminal convictions for c areless use of a firearm and obstruction of a peace officer date to 2007. But he was regularly stopped by police between 2007 and 2010, often in vehicles with other gangsters — some with the Independent Soldiers — one of the three groups that went on to form the Wolfpack. In March 2009, police executed a search warrant at the family home in Surrey and found cash and drugs. No charges resulted. His injuries from the August 2008 Surrey shooting that left Gurpreet Sidhu dead were so serious that he received support from the Crime Victim Assistance Program. kbolan@ Bluesky: @
