Steven Lyons Arrested in Bali Over Alleged Organised Crime Links 2026

Key Points

• Steven Lyons, head of Scotland’s dominant Lyons crime group, arrested in Bali on behalf of Spain’s Guardia Civil
• Police Scotland confirm they are working closely with European partners on the arrest
• Lyons previously arrested in Bahrain and detained in Dubai, before being released
• Coordinated Scottish–Spanish raids targeted properties in Scotland and Spain, resulting in 13 arrests
• Investigation focuses on alleged high-level involvement in organised crime, drugs, and money laundering
• Lyons clan has been involved in a 20-year bloody feud with the rival Daniel group
• Recent shootings in Spain include the deaths of Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan in Fuengirola
• Operation involves support from Europol, Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates
• Turkish officers seized land, a villa worth €600,000, and company shares as part of wider probes
• Police Scotland state the inquiry pre-dates last year’s central Scotland gangland feud and Operation Portaledge

UK (Liverpool standard) July 09, 2026 – Bali, Scotland, Spain. Steven Lyons, widely regarded as the leader of the Lyons clan, was arrested on the Indonesian island by local officers acting on behalf of Spain’s Guardia Civil, BBC Scotland News understands. Police Scotland confirmed the arrest in a statement:

“We are aware of the arrest of a Scottish nominal in Bali and we are working closely with European partners.”

The Bali arrest follows earlier reports this month that Lyons had been detained in Bahrain, five months after his release from custody in Dubai. Lyons had previously moved to Spain before settling in Dubai, where he forged criminal alliances, including ties to the Dubai-based Kinahan crime group. According to BBC Scotland News, Lyons is understood to have developed a relationship with Daniel Kinahan, son of Kinahan group founder Christy Kinahan, while living on the Costa del Sol.

Stephen Dempster, producer of Kinahan: The True Story of Ireland’s Mafia, previously told BBC Scotland’s Scotcast that by the mid-2010s the Lyons group had become “bigger and wealthier by tapping into the cartel’s global network.” This international footprint appears central to the current investigation, which has involved multiple jurisdictions and law enforcement agencies.

How did the joint Scottish–Spanish operation unfold?

On Friday, police in Scotland and Spain carried out a series of simultaneous raids targeting alleged members of the Lyons crime group. The operation, co-ordinated with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), resulted in 13 arrests: eight in Scotland and five in Spain. Properties targeted included locations in Bellshill, Glasgow, Gartcosh, Whitburn, Caldercruix, Cumbernauld, Coatbridge, Barcelona, and in the Malaga area.

Det Ch Insp George Calder told BBC Scotland News that the investigation was probing “alleged high-level involvement in organised crime, drugs and money laundering.” He added:

“This day of action has been the result of over two years of investigative work that’s been carried out diligently carried out by officers not only here, but by other agencies, including the National Crime Agency and the Guardia Civil.”

Calder noted that several officers were deployed in Spain to assist Spanish authorities, with intelligence, information, and resources being shared across borders. Police Scotland said the inquiry pre-dated last year’s gangland feud in central Scotland, which involved assaults, shootings, and firebombings.

The wider operation received support from Europol and officers in the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. In Turkey, officers seized two plots of land and a villa estimated to be worth about €600,000 (£520,000), as well as shares in a company. Europol said statements had also been taken from four Turkish citizens as witnesses.

Who is Steven Lyons and what is the Lyons clan?

Steven Lyons is the head of the Lyons clan, which has been involved in a bloody feud with the rival Daniel group for more than 20 years. In 2006, Steven Lyons survived a shooting at a garage in Lambhill, in the north of Glasgow, an attack that claimed the life of his cousin, Michael Lyons. Over the years, the Lyons group has expanded its influence beyond Scotland, establishing connections in Spain and the Middle East.

Lyons’ criminal alliances include ties to the Dubai-based Kinahan crime group. According to Stephen Dempster, the Lyons group benefited significantly from the Kinahan cartel’s global network during the mid-2010s, becoming both larger and wealthier. This international dimension has complicated efforts to track and prosecute members of the group, requiring coordinated action across multiple countries.

What recent violence has been linked to the Lyons–Daniel feud?

Last May, Steven Lyons’ brother, Eddie Lyons Jnr, and Ross Monaghan were shot dead in a beachfront bar in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. Both men had spent the evening watching the Champions League final before they were targeted by a lone gunman. Spanish police accused Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, of the murders. Riley had challenged an extradition bid but the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed in October that he had given his consent to be taken to Spain to face prosecution.

In the days after the double shooting, a Spanish National Police detective said the suspect was a member of the rival Daniel gang. However, Police Scotland have maintained there is nothing to suggest the murders in Spain are linked to the ongoing gang war or that it was planned in Scotland. This distinction underscores the complexity of attributing international killings to domestic gang conflicts, even when the victims and suspects are connected to known crime groups.

How does this fit with Operation Portaledge and wider gang crackdowns?

Police Scotland said the inquiry pre-dated last year’s gangland feud in central Scotland, which resulted in a series of assaults, shootings, and firebombings. A number of properties were set alight in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas in March before the attacks spread to the west at the beginning of April. The force launched Operation Portaledge in response, and it has so far resulted in more than 60 arrests.

The joint Scottish–Spanish operation targeting Lyons group members appears to be a separate, internationally focused strand of enforcement, building on two years of investigative work. While Operation Portaledge addressed violence and arson within Scotland, the Lyons–Kinahan-linked operation targets cross-border criminal networks involved in drugs and money laundering.

What background explains this long-running development?

Steven Lyons’ career as a high-profile gangland figure spans more than two decades, marked by violence, international movement, and expanding criminal alliances. Key elements of the background include:

• 20-year Lyons–Daniel feud: The Lyons clan and the Daniel group have been engaged in a bloody conflict since the early 2000s, with shootings and retaliatory attacks in Scotland and abroad.
• 2006 Lambhill shooting: Steven Lyons survived a garage shooting in Lambhill, Glasgow, which killed his cousin Michael Lyons, intensifying the feud.
• Move to Spain and Dubai: Lyons later relocated to Spain, then settled in Dubai, where he forged ties with the Kinahan crime group.
• Kinahan connection: Lyons developed a relationship with Daniel Kinahan while on the Costa del Sol, linking the Lyons group to a wider international cartel.
• Multiple arrests abroad: Lyons has been arrested in Dubai, Bahrain, and now Bali, reflecting a pattern of international law enforcement attention.
• Recent killings in Spain: The 2025 deaths of Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan in Fuengirola highlighted the ongoing volatility of the feud outside Scotland.
• Multi-agency investigation: The current operation involves Police Scotland, Guardia Civil, NCA, Europol, and law enforcement in Turkey, the Netherlands, and the UAE.

This background shows that the arrest in Bali is not an isolated event but part of a long-running, cross-border effort to disrupt a crime group with deep roots in Scotland and extensive international connections.

How could this development affect Scottish communities and families?

The arrest of Steven Lyons and the wider operation targeting his group could have significant implications for several audiences:

• Local communities in Scotland: Families and residents in areas such as Bellshill, Glasgow, Gartcosh, and Coatbridge may see a reduction in gang-related intimidation if the operation weakens the Lyons group’s local leadership and networks. However, there is also a risk of retaliatory violence if rival groups perceive the arrests as a threat.
• Families linked to the Lyons and Daniel groups: The arrest of a high-profile figure like Lyons may provide some relief to families who have lived under the shadow of the 20-year feud, but it also raises fears of further violence or legal repercussions for relatives.
• Law enforcement and policymakers: The operation demonstrates the effectiveness of cross-border cooperation between Police Scotland, the NCA, Guardia Civil, and Europol. It may encourage further joint actions against international crime groups involved in drugs and money laundering.
• The wider public: If the Lyons group’s ability to operate across borders is disrupted, there could be a long-term impact on organised crime levels in Scotland, potentially reducing drug availability and related violence. However, the situation remains fluid, and the full impact will depend on how the group adapts to the loss of its leader.

This development underline the ongoing challenge of policing transnational crime groups and the importance of international collaboration in tackling serious organised crime.