ONE of Scotland’s most notorious gangland bosses has vowed to fight his planned extradition to Spain after a humiliating arrest in Indonesia earlier this year.
Arne Kloosterman, the lawyer of leading underworld figure Steven Lyons, has confirmed he is planning to mount a legal challenge against plans to move the Scotsman from prison in the Netherlands to Spain, according to BBC Scotland News.
The leader of the brutal eponymous Glasgow-based gang is expected to appear in court in Amsterdam later today – although a decision on his extradition will be made at a later hearing on June 18.
Lyons, 46, was arrested at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in late March as part of Operation Armorum, a three-year Spanish-led probe into Scotland’s bloody gangland wars.
He was detained by Indonesian police just hours after heavily armed police swooped in on his associates at properties in Mijas, Barcelona and Scotland.
Electronic devices, cash, company documents, luxury watches and cryptocurrency wallets were seized as part of the investigation.
Authorities in Turkey also assisted the sting, seizing a villa, company shares and two plots of land worth around €600,000.
The mafia kingpin, who lived on the Costa del Sol, had just stepped off a flight from Singapore when he was flagged by an Interpol Red Notice triggered by Spain’s Guardia Civil.
He was then deported to the Netherlands a week later.
His wife, Amanda, was also arrested in Dubai on the same day over allegations of money laundering.
A statement issued by police said the Lyons gang had developed a criminal network spanning three continents with ‘a complex money laundering network based on shell companies and international financial transactions, managing millions of euros derived from drug trafficking’.
“Its ability to operate simultaneously in several countries – including Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey – and to forge alliances with other major criminal networks, solidified the clan’s position as one of the most significant players in contemporary European organised crime,” it added.
The Guardia Civil estimated that Lyons and his wife laundered around €30 million while living on the Costa del Sol.
He first came to the attention of authorities thanks to a bitter feud with the rival Daniel group.
In 2006, Lyons survived a Glasgow shooting which claimed the life of his cousin, Michael.
After the execution attempt, Lyons fled to southern Spain where he struck up a friendship with Daniel Kinahan, leader of the notorious Kinahan Cartel.
Kinahan, 48, was himself arrested in Dubai in April after an arrest warrant was issued by Irish courts in relation to alleged serious organised crime offences.
Lyons later set up shop in Dubai, although his family have continued to maintain a foothold on the Costa del Sol.
Last year, his brother Eddie Lyons Jnr and associate Ross Monaghan were assassinated while watching the Champions League final at a pub in Feungirola.
Chief suspect Michael Riley, 44, from Liverpool, is set to be taken to Spain to face prosecution.
Officers from Spain’s Policia Nacional said they believed Riley was a member of the rival Daniel gang.
But Police Scotland have insisted the brutal killings have nothing to do with the ongoing gang war.
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