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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE A teen lottery winner, a vodka boss and Glasgow's Carmela Soprano: Meet the gangsters' molls embroiled in Britain's deadliest gang war
A former teenage lottery winner, a vodka boss and Glasgow's real-life Carmela Soprano are some of the gangster's molls embroiled in a deadly war on Britain's streets. Blood is being spilt as four clans fight over the alleged theft of £500k of cocaine from Ross 'Miami' McGill, a top-level Irish criminal based in Dubai also known as Mr Big. McGill, an ex-Rangers FC hooligan, blames two of Britain's most feared crime families - the Richardsons from Edinburgh and their Glasgow allies, the Daniels. He is backed by their enemies the Lyons gang, also from Glasgow and associates of the infamous Irish Kinahan Cartel. Last week the violence saw senior Lyons figures Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43, shot dead by a masked hitman as they watched the Champions League final at an Irish bar on the Costa del Sol. But while the kingpins send out their armies on Britain and Spain 's streets, their wives and girlfriends are enjoying the trappings of a luxury lifestyle with mansions, Rolls-Royces and holiday villas. The main allure of this lifestyle is danger and power, the partner of a reformed Scottish gangster told MailOnline. She said: 'Someone who takes the lead and takes charge is attractive and sometimes that bad boy image makes you feel safe and makes you feel more feminine. 'Danger is a bit sexy too, like having sex in a balaclava.' The moll added: 'That goes back to dominance or an authority thing. I like a guy to be in charge and be in authority. For some women it's a protective thing that means they'll look after you. 'A lot of guys want a girl on their arms as part of a show tactic. They don't want to walk down the street with someone the size of a house. The guys want the best of birds because they've got it all and they can probably take their pick. 'Some of the uglier guys don't get glamorous girls unless they've got money or something, so it definitely helps them to look and feel good. They've got all the best designer gear too and the fancy watches and the whole family benefits and is respected better. 'They are famous in their own area like a film star. If you've made the money then you feel like you can get anything you want anyway, including a dolly bird on your arm. 'It's part of the package. Who wouldn't want a sexy girl by their side?' MailOnline has delved into five of the most glamorous Scottish gangsters' molls - each with their own experiences of love, loss and brushes with crime. From a four-way love war to 'fronting a vodka business for one of the most feared gangs in the world', these are the women behind the men who bring violence to the streets of Britain and beyond... Olivia Newall One of the most secretive molls is Olivia Newall, the girlfriend of Ross 'Miami' McGill, who is said to have started this deadly gang war. Newall has locked her social media profiles and there are few images of her online — perhaps in a bid to fly under the radar. Her cousin Lloyd Cross is the right hand man of Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson and both men were jailed last year for their part in a £100m cocaine smuggling plot. Cross grew up less than a mile away from McGill in Glasgow and the two are known to be close friends. Like McGill, Newall's cousin was a Union Bear - a Rangers FC hooligan group. Yet although her family have had brushed with the law, Newall seems to be living the high life in Dubai with mob boss boyfriend 'Miami'. After achieving a higher national diploma in dental nursing from New College Lanarkshire, she is believed to have moved to the resort town of Estepona on the Costa del Sol, near Malaga. While there, she was pictured with her boyfriend McGill. These days the pair are understood to be living in Dubai. And despite keeping a low profile online, MailOnline has discovered the moll still jets around the world rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. In January, she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of former Premier League footballer John Fleck. She attended alongside her cousin Jilly Isabella Cross, a fashion influencer with 200,000 followers on Instagram. But despite her life in the sun 4,000 miles from Glasgow, her association with 'Miami' has come back to bite her. Just last week on May 28, her father's black cab was torched outside the Newall family home. Two days later, Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were killed in Spain a few hours' drive from her old home. Nicola Cassells Nicola Cassells is believed to be one of the most connected molls in the Scottish underworld. First of all, she is the ex-girlfriend of John Bonner, a gangster who drove notorious Daniels enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll to an Asda car park where he was murdered in 2010 in what is one of the most infamous gangland hits in living memory. However, the mother-of-three has also allegedly slept with kingpin Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, who was left with horrific scars after being chased down and slashed with a meat cleaver. More than that, she has also reportedly had a fling with David Togher of the Richardson gang. Speaking to MailOnline, a reformed gangster said: 'Everybody likes a bad boy, especially those who look like one. Birds don't always go for the pretty boys. 'They like the big fancy motors and the money coming in and like people to know they are going with someone important. Cassells is the ex-girlfriend of John Bonner, a gangster who drove Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll to an Asda car park where he was murdered in 2010 'Being the wife or girlfriend of an associate is just part of the culture here in the schemes. They are involved in the drugs war but that's just their business. 'They fight over their territory like anyone protecting their business. They just get their pals to work for them. 'These guys will meet someone of his own type who is streetwise. He'll always go for the nicest one in the scheme and will marry the most glamorous girl there. 'They all grow up together in the council schemes and work their way up to be lieutenants and associates. 'The girls love it cause they have a better lifestyle and they don't get too involved. 'They usually end up with tanning shops, hairdressing shops or beauty shops as a front though.' Nicola Morrissey Vodka boss Nicola Morrissey, 49, is the moll of 'Johnny Cash' Morrissey. 'Johnny Cash', so called because of his propensity to carry large wads of banknotes with him, is a mobster from the Kinahan cartel, a leading Irish organised crime group with ties to the Lyons in Glasgow. Johnny and his wife share a property empire while enjoying their Nero premium vodka business in the Costa Del Sol. Conservative MP and former crime journalist Russell Findlay, who was targeted in an acid attack by the gangs, told the Scottish Parliament in 2022: 'One Kinahan gang member who has been sanctioned [by US authorities in 2022] is John Morrissey, along with his Glasgow-based vodka company, Nero Drinks. 'The Kinahans are not interested in flogging vodka — their real business is cocaine and heroin. He and his wife share a property empire while enjoying their Nero premium vodka business in the Costa Del Sol. Father-of-two 'Johnny Cash' was arrested in 2022 on suspicion of money laundering 'It is widely known that the cartel is in partnership with Scotland's Lyons gang, making vast profits from killing Scots.' The US Treasury Department said Nero Drinks has been on its radar. A spokesperson said: 'John Morrissey controls and operates Nero Drinks through his wife, the primary shareholder, who is used as a frontperson for his interests.' Father-of-two 'Johnny Cash' was arrested in 2022 on suspicion of money laundering. Nicola was also arrested and bailed as part of the same probe. A raid of their home revealed luxury paintings and wads of cash, while Nicola's interview with Marbella magazine Exclusive Life revealed the true extent of their wealth. The glamorous WAG showed off her pearly whites as she posed beside a £350,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn in a long scarlet dress. In another photo she seemed to be wearing a diamond necklace as she stood in a plunging black dress next to a bottle of vodka and a plush dinner table beneath a chandelier. Kelly Bo Green Kelly Bo Green is the daughter of the late Daniel godfather Jamie Daniel, who died in 2016 from cancer. She was also the girlfriend of infamous Daniels enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll until his murder aged 29 in 2010 - a crime that Lyons gangster Billy 'Buff' Paterson, 45, was jailed for life over. Kelly Bo avoided jail herself in 2017 for shoplifting £800 of clothes from H&M shop. She is believed to be part of the same shoplifting gang that her aunt Annette Daniel, 63, is in. Annette has 22 convictions for shoplifting and has spent time in jail for theft. Kelly Bo and Gerbil's £217,000 home near Glasgow was seized after his death, forcing her to move out but just last month, her new home in Glasgow was set alight by McGill enforcers Tamo Junto (TMJ) as part of the ongoing gang war. Despite being part of the Daniel family, she remains most well known for her relationship with 'Gerbil'. As previously mentioned, his murder in 2010 was one of the most shocking underworld crimes in Scotland's history. He was famed for his 'alien abductions', in which rival gangsters were kidnapping, torturing and left half naked on the street, too scared or traumatised to reveal what happened. He built up a long list of enemies - so long in fact that when he was finally killed, the police noted down more than 100 potential suspects. By the time he was finally killed, he had already survived at least three previous assassination attempts. His decision to vandalise the gravestone of the late Eddie Lyons Jnr's brother Garry, who passed away aged eight from leukemia, is thought to be the reason why he was killed. On January 13, 2010, the 29-year-old father-of-two was driven to an Asda car park in Robroyston suburb of Glasgow by John Bonner, who's ex-girlfriend is serial gangster's moll Nicola Cassells. There, he was murdered in the 'most vicious and brutal' way, the judge in his murder trial said. Judge Lord Armstrong added: 'It was not a spontaneous event which happened on the spur of the moment, it was in effect an execution.' Bonner said at the trial that while trying to escape he accidentally pressed lock on the car's doors, trapping 'Gerbil' inside. Two masked gunmen carrying a Ruger .357 magnum revolver and Beretta 92F semi-automatic pistol shot 13 bullets in 25 seconds at 'Gerbil' as he sat in the back of dead his girlfriend's black Audi A3. Since the shooting, Carroll's girlfriend Kelly Bo Green, who is the daughter of the late crime boss Jamie Daniel, has continued to live surrounded by her own gangster family. She has at least two sons by 'Gerbil', who are now thought to be aged 21 and 16, as well as another child. Although images of the gangster's moll are rare, she was pictured at 'Gerbil's' funeral in tinted sunglasses and a black fur jacket. She told mourners at the time: 'He was a lover, a friend, he was my everything.' Caroline Stevenson Notorious crime boss Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, who has been dubbed the Scottish Tony Soprano, was jailed for 20 years in 2024 over a plot to import £100m cocaine disguised as bananas. The 59-year-old was finally brought to justice after a five-year police operation involving bananas from South America sent to a Glasgow fruit market, a Kent drugs factory and an Amsterdam brothel. His wife Caroline, 66, enjoys the pampered life of a mob spouse like Carmela Soprano from the hit HBO series and also runs a ice cream parlour in the Possilpark area of Glasgow. Caroline's social media is awash with images of her in designer clothes, flaunting her wealth. While her husband was on trial, she reportedly posted an image of a banana with the words 'bananas can put a smile on your face' and a caption of five laughing face emojis. Stevenson pleaded guilty mid-trial at the High Court in Glasgow in August to two charges - directing a serious criminal offence of importation of cocaine, and being involved in organised crime through production and supply of etizolam, known as street valium. The gangster and five of his associates are now behind bars for a total of 49 years after being snared as part of the joint Police Scotland and National Crime Agency probe, Operation Pepperoni. While her husband was on trial, Caroline reportedly posted an image of a banana with the words 'bananas can put a smile on your face' and a caption of five laughing face emojis The cocaine Stevenson tried to import was hidden in boxes of bananas bound for a fruit market in Glasgow Stevenson's gang had tried to import almost a tonne of cocaine, valued at roughly £100m Pictured are the crates of bananas stacked one on top of the other after being seized Jane Park Jane Park, 30, is most famous for being the UK's youngest Euromillions winner when she won £1million aged 17 in 2013 on a lucky-dip ticket. Since then, she appears to have had a colourful life - including being part of a gangland love war between two gangsters and a fellow moll. Park used to date Richardson mobster David Togher, who previously is thought to have slept with Nicola Cassells. However, Togher is believed to have cheated on Park with his friend Marc Webley's girlfriend Jodie Steele. Webley was also part of the Richardson crew and was jailed for 11 years in 2005 aged 19 for attempted murder after what was described as a failed gangland hit. After Togher was spotted with Steele, Euromillions winner Park started dating Webley, completing the partner swap between the two gangsters. Outside of her relationships with the two gangsters, Park's life has been an array of modelling gigs, motherhood and botched plastic surgery operations. When the former chip shop worker won the lottery in 2013, she vowed to spend it on a customised white Range Rover, a season ticket for her beloved Hibernian and a holiday in Ibiza with her friends. Yet shortly after bagging the fortune, she spent £4,500 on breast implants that took her from a 34B to a 36FF. Jane Park is most famous for being the UK's youngest Euromillions winner when she won £1million aged 17 in 2013 on a lucky-dip ticket David Togher reportedly cheated on Jane Park with his friend Marc Webley's girlfriend Jodie Steele (pictured) Pictured: Jane Park with Marc Webley from the Euromillions winner's tribute to her then-boyfriend after his death Read More EXCLUSIVE How Steven Gerrard's daughter became part of one of the most feared crime families in the world In 2017, a Brazilian butt lift almost cost her her life after she contracted sepsis. Two years later she revealed she was making money by selling racy topless pictures of herself on subscription site OnlyFans. Then in 2023 she told her 222,000 Instagram followers she had flown to Turkey for a second boob job and a round of liposuction. It was in the same year that her relationship with Richardson gangster Marc Webley came to an end when he was shot dead outside an Edinburgh pub on New Year's Eve. Webley had previously taunted his enemies in videos posted to social media, telling them: 'Come and get it... Still at the pub. Wee bit drunk so you'd be at an advantage.' She previously made headlines aged just 17 when she won £1million in the EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle in 2013 Park said she was 'absolutely devastated' by his death. In an Instagram story, she wrote: 'If I could cuddle you again and tell you everything is going to be OK I would give anything to do it Marc. 'The months we spent together taught me some valuable things in life and I'll never forget you. I am absolutely devastated. 'The best bed for you is up there my handsome [love heart emoji].' Jodie Steele Jane Park's former love rival is Jodie Steele, 41, from Edinburgh, who is also the mother of Richardson mobster Marc Webley's two sons. She was reportedly in a relationship with the attempted murderer for around 15 years. But while Webley was in jail, she is thought to have cheated on him with fellow Richardson gangster David Togher, who is currently her partner. Togher was himself only released from prison in 2023 after serving a six-year jail sentence for slashing the face of alleged heroin kingpin Sean 'Lugs' McGovern, 41, in Edinburgh in 2016. Jodie Steele, 41, from Edinburgh, is the mother of gangster Marc Webley's two sons Jodie Steele with Marc Webley and their two sons - the pair were said to have been in a relationship for 15 years While Webley was in jail, she is thought to have cheated on him with Richardson gangster and ex-soldier David Togher, who is currently her partner It is understood that while in prison, Togher and Steele would come together to visit Webley. Former undercover police officer Simon McLean infiltrated Scotland's gangs during his career as a cop. Speaking about Scottish gangsters' molls in general, McLean, who runs the Crime Time Inc podcast, said: 'It's all about the money and power. 'They're more sneaky and dishonest but their job is to look what's considered good in their world and do exactly as they're told - total abuse, control and very disposable. '[It's a] different world and culture. [Molls] are often shared and used as currency. They just use them: ''Take her for the night, it's part of the deal.'' 'It's all very pathetic. They come from the schemes. This is not class women we are talking about.' Steele's boyfriend Togher reportedly escaped an attack as part of the ongoing gang war earlier this year. Togher allegedly ran away from an armed thug who may have been targeting him.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Scots gangster gunned down in Spanish assassination ‘was viewed as top dog by rival cartels'
RIVALS and allies saw slain Ross Monaghan as the Lyons gang's top man — and joked it should be called 'the Monaghan clan'. Insiders say the hood, 43, was instrumental in fostering relations with Kinahan crime-lords, with his links stretching back nearly a decade. 5 5 5 5 He was given power to make major calls on operations for the mob from his base in Spain. There were fears of further bloodshed following his assassination alongside Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, in Fuengirola last weekend. A source told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: 'Eddie's brother Steven is often seen as boss of the Lyons gang but, in reality, Ross Monaghan was on an equal footing. 'He sometimes made more big decisions to the point some joked it should be called the Monaghan gang instead of the Lyons. 'That's why his murder is so shocking. He was a significant figure for such a long time. 'Whoever is behind the killings would've known they were going after a guy at the very top. 'It has sent shockwaves through the underworld. Everyone is now nervous but nobody knows what's going to happen next.' The pair were gunned down after they'd watched the Champions League final at Monaghan's bar in the Costa Del Sol resort. He'd been drawn into a life of crime as a teen in the late '90s at a youth centre in Glasgow's Milton run by Eddie Lyons Sr, the dad of Eddie and Steven, 44. In 2012, Monaghan was cleared of murdering rival Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, 29, who was gunned down in the city's Robroyston in 2010. Five years later he survived being shot as he dropped his kids off at school in Penilee. Graeme Pearson, former head of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, explained the incidents enhanced Monaghan's underworld reputation. He said: 'His group became known for extreme violence. 'Being acquitted from a murder trial through lack of evidence proved his bottle to the gang. 'Then he was shot and survived. It was part of his criminal CV. 'But people like Monaghan make enemies everywhere.' Kinahan UK chief meeting BY CHRIS TAYLOR ROSS Monaghan rubbed shoulders with the head of the Kinahan's UK operation, we can reveal. He met now jailed drug smuggler Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh as far back as 2016. Stephen Breen, crime editor at The Irish Sun, said: 'Ross Monaghan's name cropped up in terms of someone who had connections to him. 'It was all about the wholesale trafficking of drugs into the UK. 'The Kinahans have the capability to recruit individuals to wage war against their enemies. 'In any gangland feud, when you have one or two people killed, it's not the end.' The attempt on the gangster's life in January 2017 came just months after he'd fostered ties with the Kinahans, from Dublin, who made a fortune flooding Europe with drugs. Monaghan was brought into the fold as the Irish cartel's bosses — who have a £4million bounty on their heads in the US — looked to step up their activities in Britain. It's believed he was the main target of the hitman who blasted him and Lyons in front of terrified holidaymakers last Saturday. It's understood Spanish cops could know the shooter's identity but have not yet established which crew he was hired by. Scots Tories leader Russell Findlay was an investigative crime reporter before he entered politics and covered the Gerbil murder trial. He remembers Monaghan as he made his bid to dupe jurors and the public into believing that he was a 'smart, besuited and respectable young man'. But Mr Findlay added: 'It was fiction. He was a dangerous, drug-dealing, gangland thug.' On Friday a group of protestors, including dozens of UK expats, held up banners in Fuengirola as they called for a crackdown on organised crime in the area. They demanded that local politicians take action and put more police on the streets following a spate of gang-related shootings that included the savage murders of Monaghan and Lyons.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Murdered gangster Ross Monaghan warned ‘weeks earlier' of £250k bounty on head by Spanish cartel feud
ROSS Monaghan had a £250,000 price on his head over a feud with a Spanish drugs cartel linked to the south of England, it was claimed last night. The Lyons gang kingpin — the main target in a double execution that stunned Scotland's underworld — may have been taken out over a debt to the mystery mob. 4 4 4 Sources say threats had been made in the months leading up to Saturday's horror in the Costa del Sol — prompting questions over Monaghan's unguarded behaviour before he and fellow hood Eddie Lyons Jnr were killed. Our insider said: 'A firm from England with connections to Alicante had warned of a £250,000 contract on Monaghan weeks before the shooting. 'It's not clear if that information found its way to Monaghan but he must have known something was brewing because it was related to debts. 'People are shocked at how complacent he seems to have been and there is no doubt the shooter benefited from the element of surprise that night. 'It's well known Monaghan was involved with some serious people and whoever is behind it has seized the chance to strike.' The Scot, 43, and Lyons, 46, are understood to have enjoyed the company of a large group of friends as they watched the Champions League final at Monaghan's bar in Fuengirola. But as punters began to leave, the two Lyons bosses remained behind, leaving them vulnerable and exposed. It's also been claimed Monaghan had avoided his Irish bar for some time before he turned up on Saturday night adding to speculation the hitman and his getaway driver were tipped off. A source said 'They obviously knew he and Eddie were there, what they looked like, what they were wearing and possibly where they were sitting. 'The assassin approached at speed and homed in on the target with any hesitation. It's no wonder people suspect he was being fed information. Horror moment Scots gangster Ross Monaghan is shot dead by hitman at Spanish pub 'The attack also has some hallmarks of someone getting lucky. The car raced at a high speed and the shooter had no proper face covering like a balaclava and wasn't wearing gloves. 'If it was a carefully planned hit you'd expect a killer to make real efforts to hide their identity and limit any forensic link to the murder weapon.' We told how Monaghan's grieving family said their Glasgow enemies the Daniels are not to blame. The Daniels and allies of jailed Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson are under attack by hoods linked to Dubai-based Ross 'Miami' McGill, 31. 4
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
The Scottish ‘tartan turf war' that went global
With a three-hour 'happy hour' and four big-screen TVs, Monaghans Bar in the Spanish resort of Fuengirola is a popular spot for those who like a night of soccer after a day of sun and sand. But on Saturday night, after drinkers watched the UEFA Champions League Final, a showdown of a less sporting sort unfolded outside. Just as the bar was emptying around 11.30pm, a car pulled up outside from which a black-clad gunman emerged. He shot dead the bar's Scottish owner, Ross Monaghan, and his Glaswegian friend Eddie Lyons Junior, before fleeing into the night. The double murder was the latest in a series of recent shootings on Spain's southern coast, long considered the 'Costa Del Crime'. Yet the hit may have been ordered from the rather less balmy climes of Glasgow, where a quarter-century feud between the city's two most powerful crime families is now spiralling out of control. In scenes that resemble an over-hyped episode of Taggart, the rival Lyons and Daniel gangs have been in open warfare for the past three months. Scores of homes and businesses, including garages, cab firms and beauty parlours, have been firebombed. Suspected associates have been attacked with machetes. Masked thugs behind the mayhem post videos of their handiwork online – shattering decades of painstaking PR in which Glasgow reinvented itself as a 'City of Culture'. The so-called 'tartan turf wars' are a throwback to the rougher Red Clydeside movement of the 1960s, when razor gangs terrorised the city. Today's Glasgow hard men, though, wield much deadlier weaponry than long-handled shaving blades, and their fiefdoms are no longer confined to council estates like Easterhouse. Attacks have taken place all over central Scotland, spreading to well-heeled districts of Edinburgh too. The feud reportedly dates back to the Lyons gang stealing a drug stash from the Daniels some 25 years ago, but onlookers fear it has become a battle to master the entirety of urban Scotland's lucrative drug trade. 'These groups have grown obscenely wealthy, preying on communities of very vulnerable people,' says MSP Russell Findlay, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, who says the government has been complacent about the rising threat of organised crime. 'These two individuals who were killed were prominent members of organised crime, and while it's still unclear who was behind their deaths, it seems they are paying the price for the lifestyle they led.' Mr Findlay is well-qualified to comment on the subject, having previously worked as an investigative crime reporter for Scottish TV and tabloid newspapers. In 2012, he wrote a book about the Daniel-Lyons feud, chronicling the misery it inflicted on Glasgow's Milton housing estate, the Lyons' original stronghold. The book's title, Caught in the Crossfire, was to prove horribly prophetic: three years later, Findlay himself was attacked on his doorstep by a knifeman who threw acid in his face. It was the kind of brazen intimidation more associated with Latin American narco-states – something that Scotland will come to resemble if more is not done, he warns. 'I remember thinking at the time: 'Why is nobody else saying enough is enough?'' he says. 'This is what happens when organised crime becomes too powerful: they try to take on mainstream society.' Spanish police have yet to identify the Fuengirola gunman, who some reports claim was a blonde-haired man presumed to be a fellow Scot. Scottish police, however, are likely to have no shortage of suspects already on their files. Both Monaghan, 43, and Lyons Junior, 46, were members of the Lyons gang, and no strangers to the art of the gangland hit themselves. Monaghan had been arrested then acquitted of the 2010 murder of Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, a notorious Daniel-gang enforcer. He then moved to Spain after being shot in the shoulder in Glasgow in 2017. He and Lyons Junior both also stood trial for attacking three men outside a bar in Dunbartonshire in 2016, the case only collapsing when the alleged victims claimed they had no memory of what happened. Indeed, those caught up in Lyons-Daniel violence have a marked tendency to 'forget' their testimony, much to the frustration of police. One incident that neither gang ever seems to have forgotten, though, is the theft of £20,000 worth of cocaine back in 2001 from a Daniel safe house. Nicknamed 'Morningside Speed' in honour of the posh Edinburgh suburb of the same name, cocaine was then relatively new to Scotland. Previously, heroin had been the drug of choice on impoverished housing estates – courtesy of smugglers like Jamie Daniel, the Daniel-gang founder, who flooded Glasgow with it in the early Eighties. Cocaine, though, was far more lucrative, and the theft of the stash, while relatively small in value, sparked a wider turf war over dealing patches. Escalating the violence was Carroll, who had allegedly been bullied by the Lyons' family during his schooldays, and was now a senior enforcer for the Daniel gang. He was infamous for so-called 'alien abductions', where rivals would be kidnapped, tortured and then dumped semi-naked on the street, too traumatised (or too terrified) to say what had happened to them. Not content with inflicting physical harm, he also vandalised a gravestone for Eddie Lyon Junior's younger brother, Garry, who died from leukaemia aged eight in 1991. Perceived as an outrage even by gangland standards, that act led to Carroll himself being shot dead in an Asda car park in Glasgow in 2010, in full view of horrified shoppers. So reviled was Carroll that police had nearly 100 potential suspects for his murder, and his death might have drawn a line under the feud. But it flared up again in 2016 when Jamie Daniel passed away from cancer – one of the few gang kingpins to die peacefully. His death left a power vacuum, which the Lyons' clan tried to exploit through five attempted murders in just five months. In one particularly savage case, Stephen 'Bonzo' Daniel was hunted down after a 100mph car chase through north Glasgow, before having his face macheted so badly that paramedics thought at first that he had been shot. 'His nose was hanging off on the left hand side near his ear', a policeman told a later trial of six Lyons associates, who were convicted of the five murder plots in 2019. Jailing them for a total of 104 years, a judge told them: 'You sought to turn Glasgow into a war zone for your feud. This is a civilised city, based on the rule of law.' With the violence now flaring up again, many Scots might well doubt that – not least those living in the streets where properties have been firebombed. While the gang kingpins often live in fortress-like mansions, equipped with CCTV, safe rooms and anti-ram-raid bollards, their footsoldiers often live on suburban estates. The precise spark for the latest hostilities remains unknown, although some believe it may be linked to the gangs' growing links to international drug cartels. The Lyons gang is said to have forged close links to Ireland's feared Kinahan cocaine cartel, whose senior members holed up in Dubai after pressure from the Dublin authorities. One Lyons family member has also lived in Dubai since an attempt on his life in Glasgow in 2006, and is said to have formed a 'Celtic cartel' with his Irish counterparts, whereby Lyons street dealers distribute Kinahan-supplied cocaine. Scottish police have already arrested at least 40 people over the feud, while Angela Constance, the SNP Justice Secretary, insisted that law-abiding Scots had nothing to fear. 'Scotland continues to be a safe place to live, with recorded crime down 40 per cent since 2006/07,' she said last month. Critics, however, complain the police service remains underfunded. For Findlay, the problems go even deeper. Far too much of Scotland's establishment, he says, has given the gangs the benefit of the doubt – from the Edinburgh professionals who act as their defence lawyers and accountants, to Left-leaning politicians who see them as victims of social injustice. He remembers how, in the mid-Nineties, Eddie Lyons Senior was given use of a former school in Milton for a 'community project', despite already being well-known to police. Objections, Findlay says, were overlooked by councillors who naively regarded Lyons Senior as a community activist. The centre was later shut down amid complaints it had become a gang hub. But Findlay cites multiple other examples where gangs are still flexing their muscles. In South Lanarkshire, a fellow Tory councillor, Graeme Campbell, quit his role after rows over planning issues led to gangsters attacking his house three times. And at jails across the country, prison officers' cars have been firebombed at least a dozen times. 'You've got attacks on journalists, councillors, prison officers: Scotland's isn't a narco-state, but this is how these things start. And, too often, the SNP's ethos has been to justify and explain, not to punish and deter – it is a social work mentality. The gangs must be rubbing their hands with glee,' he said. Meanwhile, in Spain, there are fears that violence could escalate further and Ana Mula, the mayor of Fuengirola, is calling for more resources to combat organised crime. She said: '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, inevitable affect us. We need much greater involvement from the state on this issue.' Reports last month claimed the Lyons gang was seeking a truce in the feud. Given the recent events in Fuengirola that now seems unlikely. As Findlay points out, though, Saturday's shootings might not be connected to the Scottish feud at all, but rather the larger, global players that the Lyons gang is now part of. 'It could have been the work of their long-standing enemies in Scotland,' he said. 'But, out in Spain, they are swimming with much bigger sharks – who may be even more ruthless than they are.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Family of drug kingpin gunned down in Costa Del Sol pub say notorious rival gang are NOT responsible for killings as fears grow over 'revenge' attacks
The family of a drug kingpin murdered in a double shooting have spoken out to say their notorious gang rivals are not responsible, according to a bombshell new report. Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, were shot dead by a masked gunman while they were watching Saturday's Champions League final at an Irish pub on the Costa del Sol. Both men are senior figures in the Glasgow-based Lyons gang, and the incident prompted fears that their deadly rivals, the Daniels, were behind the hit. The two crime families have been locked in a bloody feud that has seen a series of tit-for-tat killings over more than two decades. Saturday's hit also coincides with an ongoing gang war in Edinburgh and Glasgow that has seen scores of firebombings and beatings - apparently targeting the Daniels and their associate, Mark Richardson. However, Police Scotland said in a statement earlier this week that there was 'no evidence' the Spain shootings had been ordered in Scotland or were linked to the recent unrest there. And now, a relative of Monaghan has appeared to absolve the Daniels of any blame for his and Lyons Jnr's deaths - suggesting gang rivals based abroad could be responsible. 'The one thing people need to know is the Daniels are not behind this,' The Sun reported one of Monaghan's relatives as saying. 'There are other theories about who is behind it, but the one thing we know for sure is it's got nothing to do with the Daniels or Mark Richardson.' Lyons Jnr's death came just weeks after his teenage daughter died from an illness, the relative revealed. Spanish police continue to hunt the gunman responsible for Saturday's shootings. After executing Lyons Jnr on the street outside, the killer ran in and cornered Monaghan before shooting him in the chest and stomach at close range. Monaghan - who is believed to have owned the pub, named Monaghans - tried to escape by running to the bathroom. But horrific CCTV shows him stumbling as he turns to face his killer, who calmly pulls the trigger four times. It comes at a time of high tension in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which have seen dozens of violent incidents linked to an ongoing gang dispute. Reports have suggested the war erupted after Richardson's associates stole a £500,000 stash of cocaine from an ambitious Dubai-based kingpin known as Ross 'Miami' McGill. The Lyons are now said to be supporting McGill in his war on Richardson and his close associate Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. The dispute has even made its way onto social media, where one video showed a series of attacks on targets associated with Mark Richardson to the tune of Martha Reeves' and the Vandellas hit 'Nowhere to run'. Numerous reports have suggested the Costa del Sol shootings are directly linked to the ongoing unrest in Edinburgh and Glasgow. But this has been denied by police, who said there is 'no intelligence to suggest' this was the case. A Police Scotland spokesperson added: 'Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police where requested, however, at this time we have no officers deployed within Spain. 'There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge. 'Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country. 'There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland.' Today's intervention by the Monaghan family suggests the Daniels are wary of being blamed for Saturday's killings. Their long-lasting war with the Lyons reportedly began when Lyons associates allegedly stole a £20,000 cocaine stash belonging to them. Five years later, gunmen James McDonald and Raymond Anderson walked into Applerow Motors in Lambhill, north Glasgow - owned by David Lyons - and opened fire in retaliation. David's nephew Michael Lyons, 21, was killed, while Steven Lyons - Eddie Jnr's brother - was shot in the leg and back. Robert Pickett was left in a coma and lost a kidney. Dozens of tit for tat shootings and killings have happened in the years since. Monaghan himself was a suspect in the 2010 murder of Daniels member Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll in the car park of a Glasgow Asda. He was charged over the shooting but the case was later dropped. In August 2017, Monaghan and Lyons Jr were cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. Monaghan later fled to Spain after being shot in the shoulder while dropping his child off at a Glasgow primary school that same year. Monaghans, the pub where Saturday's shooting happened, describes itself online as a place 'where you can relax and spend the day enjoying great home cooked meals on a sunny terrace and watch live sporting events.' It also bills itself as a 'family friendly sports bar and restaurant located in Torreblanca, Fuengirola opposite one of the area's most popular beaches.' Torreblanca is to the east of Fuengirola town centre and a stone's throw from an area called Los Boliches. Saturday murders follow the fatal shooting nearly six weeks ago of a 32-year-old British man in nearby Calahonda a 15-minute drive from the Irish bar towards Marbella. He was shot dead around 8pm on April 21 in a professional hit as he headed back to his car after finishing a football match with friends. The killers fled in a getaway car that was later torched. Police are investigating the brutal assassination as a drug-related gang shooting but have yet to make any arrests. The victim has not been named but was known to come from Liverpool. Reports at the time described the incident as the fourth shooting so far that month on the Costa del Sol, where rival gangs have increasingly used extreme violence to settle disputes and a number of international mafias are known to have a base. Four days before the Calahonda shooting a 34-year-old man was rushed to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella after being shot outside a nightclub in the famous Costa del Sol resort.
