On September 16, 2025, the glittering city of Dubai—better known for its luxury shopping and futuristic skyline than for gangland drama—became the unlikely stage for an international crackdown on some of Scotland’s most notorious organized crime figures. In a series of early morning raids, Dubai police arrested four high-profile Scottish gangsters: Steven Lyons, Ross ‘Miami’ McGill, Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Jamieson, and Steven Larwood. The arrests, confirmed by multiple sources and widely reported by BBC Scotland News and The Sun, mark a dramatic escalation in efforts to curb violent criminal activity that has plagued Scotland for months.
According to BBC Scotland News, the four men are believed to be deeply entangled in a web of criminality stretching from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Spain and the United Arab Emirates. Their alleged offenses range from large-scale drug importation to orchestrating a violent feud between rival gangs—a feud that, since March 2025, has left Scotland reeling from a wave of assaults, shootings, and firebombings. Detectives from Police Scotland, working under Operation Portaledge, have already made nearly 60 arrests in connection with these crimes, which include around 80 firebombings, machete attacks, and attempted murders across the country.
Steven Lyons, often described as the head of the infamous Lyons crime group, is no stranger to headlines. His organization has been locked in a bloody rivalry with the Daniel clan for over two decades. In 2006, Lyons survived a shooting in north Glasgow that claimed the life of his cousin, Michael Lyons—a grim milestone in a feud that has only grown more brutal over time. After years in Spain, Lyons eventually settled in Dubai, reportedly forging close ties with the notorious Kinahan Cartel on Spain’s Costa del Sol during the 2010s. The cartel’s influence, as reported by the Daily Record, has been felt in Scotland’s criminal underworld, especially through alliances with the Lyons gang.
Ross ‘Miami’ McGill, another key figure now behind bars in Dubai, first came to police attention as a senior member of the Rangers football ultras group, the Union Bears. But since March, McGill has been identified as a central player in the gangland feud, allegedly sparked by a falling out with imprisoned Edinburgh drug dealer Mark Richardson. According to The Sun, Richardson’s associates—linked to the rival Daniel clan—are believed to have swindled McGill with £500,000 of fake cash in a cocaine deal, triggering a tit-for-tat campaign of violence that soon spilled from Edinburgh into Glasgow.
McGill, who fled to Spain in 2022 to avoid prosecution, resurfaced this year in Dubai, where he reportedly set up home in the same luxury enclave as Larwood, a known cocaine dealer. Sources cited by The Sun allege Larwood was earning up to £3 million a month through drug shipments, operating under McGill’s protection. The Lyons gang, for their part, are said to have provided McGill with intelligence on the Daniel clan in Edinburgh to aid his campaign of revenge. McGill is also accused of recruiting a group of foot soldiers, known as Tamo Junto, to carry out knife attacks, shootings, and firebombings that have shaken Scotland’s criminal landscape.
Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Jamieson, another of those arrested, is closely linked to Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson—a crime boss who was jailed last year for orchestrating a £100 million cocaine smuggling plot from South America to the UK, hidden in banana shipments. Jamieson himself was arrested in Dubai in July 2025 following a gym altercation with McGill but was later released on bail, according to The Scottish Sun.
The violence reached a gruesome crescendo in May 2025, when Lyons’ brother, Eddie Lyons Jnr, and Ross Monaghan—both key figures in the Lyons gang—were shot dead in a beachfront bar in Fuengirola, on Spain’s Costa del Sol. The pair had spent the evening watching the Champions League final before being targeted by a lone gunman. Spanish authorities have accused Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, of the murders, with an extradition hearing scheduled for later this year. While Police Scotland have downplayed any direct link between the Spanish murders and the ongoing Scottish gang war, Spanish police maintain the suspected shooter was affiliated with the Daniel clan.
Back in Scotland, the dramatic arrests in Dubai have sent shockwaves through both criminal and law enforcement circles. According to BBC Scotland News, detectives had been sharing intelligence with their counterparts in the United Arab Emirates, though it remains unclear whether Scottish officers were informed of the raids in advance. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has not been approached for consular assistance, and at the time of reporting, Dubai police referred inquiries to the UK Embassy in Dubai, which has yet to comment.
Meanwhile, the Daniel clan—longtime rivals of the Lyons group—have wasted no time responding to the news. Steven ‘Bonzo’ Daniel, the Daniel family boss, reportedly held secret talks with allies in Paisley, Renfrewshire, just hours after news of the Dubai arrests broke. According to The Scottish Sun, Bonzo’s family and business interests had been under sustained attack for months, and the recent arrests have shifted the balance of power. One insider told the publication, “Bonzo can sleep a bit safer now that his key rivals have lost their power.” The talks, held at the offices of Paisley Cab Co Ltd, included taxi tycoon Steven Malcolm, a known associate of Bonzo and a figure with his own storied history in Glasgow’s underworld.
As the dust settles, questions remain about what happens next. It’s not yet clear whether the four men arrested in Dubai will face charges there or whether extradition proceedings will be initiated to bring them back to Scotland. Given their status as high-level criminal figures and potential flight risks, authorities on both sides are weighing their options carefully. One source described the Dubai operation as “something that had been brewing for months but they never saw it coming.”
Operation Portaledge, the major police initiative launched to combat the recent surge in gang violence, continues to probe the wave of criminal acts orchestrated by McGill and his associates. Nearly 60 suspects have been arrested so far, but the full extent of Scotland’s underworld connections—to Spain, Dubai, and beyond—remains a subject of intense investigation. As one underworld source told the Daily Record, “Scottish gangsters hiding out in Dubai should know you have to live the quiet life to not come to the attention of authorities… it was only a matter of time before cops over there got to him.”
In a saga marked by betrayal, revenge, and international intrigue, the arrests in Dubai may prove to be a turning point in Scotland’s ongoing gangland drama. For now, the power struggle continues, but the message from law enforcement is unmistakable: nowhere is truly safe from the reach of justice.
