Ben Pawlowski
IT was the brazen Mafia-style hit that sent shockwaves through the Costa del Sol, triggering fears of a vicious gang war not seen since the days of the Kinahans.
On May 31, masked assassins gunned down two notorious crime bosses outside a packed Fuengirola pub – moments after the pair of high-ranking Scottish gangsters had watched Paris Saint-Germain thrash Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final.
Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, were executed in front of dozens of terrified holidaymakers in a horrifying bloodbath at Monaghan’s Bar – owned by Ross.
And now, sinister new details have emerged of the moments before the infamous Scottish underworld figures, belonging to the Glasgow-based Lyons crime family, were assassinated.
According to anonymous insiders quoted by The Scottish Sun, a crew of seasoned female shoplifters were recruited as spotters and proved integral to the murder plot.
It is also claimed that the killer benefited from a mole in Scotland who provided key information on the movements of Lyons Jnr, who had travelled to the Costa del Sol as part of a group from Dullater Golf Club.
READ MORE: Suspect arrested in Liverpool over shooting of two Scottish gangsters on the Costa del Sol
“The seven spotters from north Glasgow had been recruited specifically because they are seasoned shoplifters,” the underworld insider claimed.
“They are experienced operators who have travelled Europe extensively for years, stealing from major franchises, designer boutiques and blue chip jewellers.
“They could identify and provide surveillance on the primary target’s movements without a shadow of doubt.”
It is claimed that the murder plot involved a network of organised crime groups who shared a mutual interest in taking out the pair of best friends, both of whom are relatives of key gang kingpins.
And the female spotters at the heart of the plot used the stolen phones of expats and tourists to track the pals’ movements.
The source told The Scottish Sun: “An associate of a Glasgow crime family provided detailed information about Eddie Lyons’ trip and the female spotters then shadowed his movements from the moment he arrived in Spain.
“These women were communicating with each other using the Signal messaging app on phones previously stolen from holidaymakers weeks beforehand in Torremolinos and Benalmadena.
“The stolen mobile phones were supplied directly to the female spotters by members of a south London organised crime gang based in Malaga.”
While Scottish police are keen to play down links to any Scotland-based turf war, Spanish cops remain convinced the hit is related to the Lyons crime family’s long-running feud with the Daniel clan.
Police Scotland released a statement in June to say there was ‘no intelligence to suggest’ the killings, which rocked the Costa del Sol expat community, were connected to a spate of recent gang-related attacks in the UK being investigated under Operation Portaledge.
So far, only one individual has been arrested in connection with the plot.
Alleged hitman Michael Riley, 44, from Huyton, Liverpool, was detained by Merseyside Police under an international arrest warrant issued by Spanish authorities.
Riley remains in custody, fighting extradition to Spain over the murders.
According to police, the alleged assassin immediately fled the scene in a waiting vehicle.
He was reported to have left Spain via Portugal before heading to the UK.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by Spanish police in dealing with international criminal activity along the Costa del Sol.
A large expat community, sunshine and proximity to North Africa have long made the region attractive to organised crime groups from across Europe, earning the coastline the unfortunate moniker ‘Costa del Crime’.
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