The pair have been ‘boozing heavily’ and ‘shouting off’ about their alleged roles, underworld sources say
John-Paul Clark and Christopher Adams GAU Content Editor
10:20, 30 Dec 2025
Eddie Lyons Jnr (left) and Ross Monaghan were shot dead in Spain in May 2025(Image: Daily Record)
Two gangsters holed up in Dubai are “claiming to have organised” the executions of Scottish crime bosses Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons in Spain earlier this year.
Alleged hitman Michael Riley, 45, was arrested in Liverpool in June over the double slaying of Lyons, 46, and Monaghan, 43, who were gunned down at a boozer in Fuengirola on May 31. Riley is now languishing in a Spanish prison awaiting trial.
However, an underworld source revealed to the Daily Record that a duo of thugs from the notorious Daniel clan, who scarpered from Glasgow to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the summer, are claiming responsibility for masterminding the murder plot while living the high life in the desert.
Lyons and Monaghan were murdered at Monaghans in Fuengirola(Image: X/Daily Record)
One of the men has been embroiled in the blood feud between the Lyons and Daniel clans for the past 25 years and was a known footsoldier for murdered Daniel enforcer Kevin ‘Gerbil’ Carroll. He has been targeted by shooters twice and survived numerous other assassination attempts.
He is believed to have been biding his time to exact revenge on the Lyons crew and is claiming to have stumped up the bounty for the hitman.
The other hood was freed from prison earlier this year and maintains long-standing criminal ties with gangsters in Liverpool. He was previously handed a hefty stretch for his role in a massive UK-wide drug trafficking operation and also has another conviction for money laundering.
The villain, who is a close mate of Steven “Bonzo” Daniel, is reportedly bragging that he is the mastermind behind planning the murders and recruiting the gunman from his prison cell.
The source revealed: “These two people have been mentioned by those in the know ever since Eddie and Ross were murdered. They had been lying low but suddenly appeared in Dubai at the end of the summer. The pair of them have been boozing heavily and are constantly out at rooftop bars and pool parties.
Michael Terrence Riley, 45, is accused of two counts of murder
“As soon as they get a drink in them, they’re telling people about their roles in the Fuengirola murders and shouting off about the Daniel firm winning the gang war. Maybe they are just chasing clout but they are both very serious players so it is more than possible.
“What is certain is they are painting a target on their backs. The Lyons mob are desperate to retaliate so if they ever come home to Scotland they’ll be constantly watching their backs.”
It was reported last month that Lyons family boss, Steven Lyons, is “consumed with bloodlust as he plans revenge for the death of his brother and best friend.”
An underworld source explained how he blames the Daniel clan and is determined to take out a senior member of the crime family.
They said: “Steven believes the murders in Spain were ordered by the Daniel crew and he won’t be persuaded otherwise. Immediately after Eddie and Ross were killed, he vowed revenge and he has been brooding on it for a while.
“He is completely consumed with bloodlust and wants to take out a high-ranking Daniel member.” The source continued: “He’s told his crew it’s time for payback and he wants dead bodies.”
Spanish authorities have consistently maintained that the killer of Lyons and Monaghan is connected to the Daniel clan, while Police Scotland insist there is “no evidence” that the murders were orchestrated on home soil or tied to kingpin Ross McGill’s gang war with cocaine baron Mark Richardson’s crew.
At the time of the killings, the Lyons mob had been backing McGill, 31, and his Tamo Junto (TMJ) gang in their bitter dispute with Richardson’s outfit over a cocaine haul purchased with counterfeit banknotes.
Ross McGill was arrested alongside Steven Lyons and Steven Larwood in Dubai in September(Image: @RossMcG1872)
Family head Steven Lyons, 44, pinpointed targets within the Daniel clan for TMJ to strike due to the Glasgow crime dynasty’s longstanding ties with Richardson.
In the weeks preceding the Spanish shootings, two men were slashed with machetes at an East Kilbride garage owned by Robert Daniel, 50, and days afterwards one of Richardson’s close associates, David McMillan, 54, was severely wounded after being hacked with blades outside his Edinburgh home.
The gang warfare subsided during the summer months before McGill was arrested in Dubai alongside Steven Lyons and Steven Larwood, 42, in September. They were freed after 12 days and expelled from the UAE with orders never to return, though their present location remains a mystery.
Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Jamieson, 42, was detained on the same day and was subsequently returned to Scotland where he appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court earlier this month. He faced six charges, including directing serious organised crime and involvement in serious organised crime, along with four offences related to drug supply.
Steven Lyons’ whereabouts are unknown since he was expelled from the UAE(Image: Spindrift)
The alleged offences are dated back to 2020. Jamieson entered no plea and was held on remand.
As part of their Operation Portaledge investigation into the violence, Police Scotland has apprehended 62 individuals, with two men receiving substantial prison terms.
In November, Liam McDermid, 25, was put behind bars for six years and nine months after using a metal detector to search for a Glock pistol that had been concealed near a primary school in the capital.
Earlier this month, Arran Reid, 27, was jailed for eight years and four months following a machete attack on McMillan in May.
This month also saw the conviction of gunman Nicky Robertson, 38, who fired three shots at the residence of another of Richardson’s mates, Patrick Beatson, and is due to be sentenced in the new year.