5 days ago
Gangland violence 'out of control' John Swinney is told
The First Minister was challenged about justice policy following the killing of two Scottish drug gang leaders in Spain.
Eddie Lyons jnr and Ross Mnaghan were shot dead at a bar in Fuengirola last Saturday night.
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At First Minister's Questions, Conservative leader, Russell Findlay, said gangs have been allowed to operate as 'the Scottish Parliament has failed to tackle organised Crime'
He branded the gang leaders parasites and cowards and highlighted policing and sentencing policy that he claimed led to a failure to tackle the problem.
Findlay said: 'Two Scottish drug dealers have now been shot dead in Spain.'
Referring to the ongoing, decades long, feud between the rival Daniel and Lyons gangs in Glasgow, he said: 'Their gang has waged a turf war on Scotland's streets since the dawn of devolution.
'And this has mutated to include proxy groups, including the US US-sanctioned Kinahan cartel.
'These parasites grow rich by preying on societies most vulnerable, these cowards cause terror and death with guns, knives and firebombs.
'These thugs go after journalists, politicians, businessmen, police and prison officers.
'Organised Crime is out of control and communities are living in fear.'
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Findlay said police numbers have been cut by almost 1000, Under 25 sentencing guidelines are part of the problem and proceeds of crime law failed to recover the rtrue wealth drug dealers accumulate.
He said police say 'Organised crime groups' are 'coercing young and vulnerable people to carry out some of these crimes because they are under reduced risk of imprisonment.'
On Proceeds of crime, he added: 'According to the Crown Office, one drug dealer made £126m but they can only find £118,000 of assets' and called for a review.
The First Minister said the government and justice authorities were tackling organised crime, which he said was 'intolerable' and 'unacceptable'.
He said he did not agree it was 'out of control' and said , 'Tt requires the forensic attention of our police and criminal justice authorities to tackle it and that is being undertaken within Scotland on a relentless basis.'
Swinney said there were 'flaws' with Findlay's arguments.
He said: 'There are a high number of organised crime participants who are currently incarcerated for a very long time in the jails of Scotland, contributing to the significant congestion that is in our prison system just now.'
On sentencing, he said he could not allow the remarks to stand.
He said:' It is misleading to say to the public there are no consequences for criminal activity under the age of 25.
'There are very serious consequences which involve imprisonment.'
He added: 'Scottish Crime Campus is viewed across the world as one of the most innovative and successful measures of bringing together all of the intelligence gathering in one place.
And he said: 'It has to be acknowledged that the criminal justice authorities have been successful in apprehending, imprisoning, interrupting and disrupting organised crime in this country.
'That will be sustained in the years to come.'
