One of Scotland’s most notorious gangland figures has been paraded in a jumpsuit after being dramatically arrested for ‘running an international drug ring’.
Steven Lyons, the 45-year-old head of the notorious Lyons clan, was detained upon arrival at the main international airport in Bali, Indonesia.
Wearing orange overalls, plastic cuffs and a face mask, he was then marched out of the national police headquarters in front of waiting cameras.
Lyons, who arrived on a flight from Singapore, was flagged upon arrival Bali as an ‘Interpol red notice subject’, according to a local official.
The development came on the same day his wife, Amanda Lyons, was detained in Dubai. They are both wanted over offences allegedly committed in Spain, where Lyons will now be extradited.
Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya said he was alleged to be the leader of ‘a large-scale transnational criminal organisation engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering’.
The Lyons clan has been embroiled in a two-decade-long feud with the rival Daniels clan, and has been linked to the Kinahan Cartel – which is currently based in Dubai.
Untung Widyatmoko, secretary of Interpol’s Indonesia bureau, said that Lyons’ criminal group operated in countries including Spain, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey.
The latest operation comes in the wake of reports earlier this month that Lyons had been arrested in Bahrain, just five months after being released from custody in Dubai.
It follows reports earlier this month that Lyons had been arrested in Bahrain, just five months after being released from custody in Dubai.
Steven Lyons is escorted by police officers at the Bali Police headquarters in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, March 31 2026
Lyons, the 45-year-old head of the Scotland-based Lyons clan, was nabbed upon arrival at Ngurah Rai International Airport
Lyons’ cousin, Michael, was killed in a garage shooting in Lambhill, north Glasgow, in 2006. Steven managed to survive this attack, before moving to Spain and then Dubai.
In May 2025, his brother Eddie Lyons Jr. and his associate Ross Monaghan were gunned down in a beachfront bar located in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, while they were watching the Champions League final by a masked gunman.
Spanish police have accused Michael Riley, from Liverpool, of the murders, however, the 44-year-old previously challenged his extradition.
Last October, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that Riley had since given consent to be taken to Spain to face the accusations.
A Spanish detective previously said the suspect was a member of the Lyons rivals – the Daniel gang.
However, Police Scotland insisted there is no suggestion that the Costa Del Sol murders were connected to the ongoing gangland feud.
It also maintained that there was no suggestion that the crime was coordinated in Scotland.
Earlier this month, a Scottish-Spanish operation was carried out on properties in Gartcosh, Whitburn, Caldercruix, Bellshill, Glasgow, Cumbernauld, Barcelona, and around Malaga.
Eight arrests have been made in Scotland, while five people have been taken into custody in Spain.
Detective Chief Inspector George Calder said the operation was investigating alleged money laundering, drugs, and a high-level involvement in organised crime.
He is alleged to be the ‘leader of a large-scale transnational criminal organisation engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering’
Steven Lyons (pictured), the head of one of Scotland’s most dominant crime groups, is set to be deported back to the UK
His brother Eddie Lyons (left) and Ross Monaghan (right) were gunned down last May in a beachfront bar in the Costa Del Sol
‘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,’ he told BBC Scotland.
‘We have got a number of officers over in Spain, assisting the Spanish authorities with their inquiries.
‘We’re sharing intelligence, information and resources.’
It was also revealed that the operation was being backed by peers in Europol, officers in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and the Netherlands.
In Turkey, two plots of land and a villa – with an estimated worth of €600,000 (£520,000) – as well as shares in a company, were seized by local officers.
Statements were taken from four Turkish witnesses, according to Europol.
Police Scotland said their inquiry had begun before last year’s gang war in the central area of the country, which sparked several assaults, firebombings and shootings.
Between March and April last year, several properties in Edinburgh and its surrounding areas were set ablaze.
So far, there have been more than 60 arrests as a result of Operation Portaledge, which was launched by the local policing authority.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said earlier this week: “We are aware of the arrest of a Scottish nominal in Bali and we are working closely with European partners.”
