Steven Lyons appears in Spanish court as crime lord's wife awaits extradition from Dubai

Steven Lyons has appeared in a Spanish court as his wife awaits extradition from Dubai.

The Glasgow gang boss appeared in the Malaga court via video link from his cell in Madrid on Thursday, facing charges of money laundering and membership of a criminal group.

Last month, Lyons was extradited from Amsterdam after he was captured by Indonesian authorities in Bali during a global sting targeting the gang in March.

A second Scottish man, named Sean R, also appeared in court on Wednesday, facing the same allegations. He was extradited from Greece earlier this week as part of Operation Armorum, led by the Guardia Civil.

The pair were remanded in custody ahead of trial.

Two awaiting extradition including crime lord’s wife

Two people are currently awaiting extradition to Spain.

Lyons’ wife, Amanda Lyons, remains detained in Dubai after being arrested just days after her husband in March.

An individual in the United Kingdom is also awaiting transfer to Spain as part of the enquiry.

It is not known when Mrs Lyons and the second individual will arrive in the country. There are several international search warrants which remain active as part of the operation.

UK authorities are also understood to have open cases linked to the Scottish criminal group, including drug trafficking and score settling incidents.

The gang is suspected of running a prolific criminal network involved in the transport of large quantities of drugs, including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, into Scotland.

Arrests in Spain so far

Detectives are investigating 24 people, all believed to be non-Spanish, as part of the large-scale enquiry.

A total of 19 homes in the country have been searched, with more raids carried out in Scotland earlier this year.

Seven people were arrested by Spanish detectives. Five were granted bail with precautionary measures such as the withdrawal of passports, a ban on leaving the national territory, and an obligation to appear periodically in court.

The other two were not granted bail.

Costa Del Sol double assassination linked to case

Spanish authorities are linking the assassination of two Scottish gangsters in the Costa Del Sol to the operation targeting the Lyons gang.

Eddie Lyons Junior and Ross Monaghan.
STV News

In May 2025, Eddie Lyons Jnr, the brother of Steven Lyons, was gunned down at Monaghan’s Irish Bar in Fuengirola, Spain.

Associate Ross Monaghan, who owned the premises, was also killed in the shooting. Police Scotland believes the incident was not related to a criminal feud which spanned the Central Belt, but Spanish officials say it is related to their investigation into the crime family.

Merseyside man Michael Riley, 44, was charged in connection with the killings and extradited to Spain.

Riley was initially being housed at Alhaurín prison in Malaga; however, he was moved to maximum security Teixero prison in May.