By Russell Findlay MSP
Scottish Conservative leader
In recent weeks, mainstream Scotland has been jolted to attention by reports of a sickening spate of alleged gangland violence in our two largest cities.
To summarise: a local Glasgow turf war between the Daniel and Lyons crime clans that began in 2001, before mutating into a frenzy of depraved pan-Scotland terror incorporating countless proxy gangs, has exploded back into life.
Over almost a quarter of a century, far too many people – including innocents – have been maimed or murdered. Guns, knives and fire-bombings are routinely deployed.
The gangs fight for control of the street drugs trade which has killed, and continues to kill, record numbers of Scots.
I’ve been an MSP since 2021, and leader of the Scottish Conservatives for seven months, but my knowledge of this bleak world runs deep.
Before entering Holyrood, I spent decades as a journalist and author investigating the scale of organised crime. One of my books, Caught in the Crossfire, charts the first decade of the Daniel/Lyons feud.
And in 2015 a knife-wielding hitman disguised as a postman came to my door and hurled sulphuric acid into my face. Good fortune saved me from being blinded, permanently scarred or even killed.
David Threadgold, SPF chair
During this drug war I reported that one faction was endorsed by police officers and Labour politicians, in defiance of desperate pleas from decent families.
Then there were the hitmen who unleashed military firepower on our streets, using weapons sold to them by British Army soldiers.
And let’s not forget the police officer who flogged secret intelligence to assist those plotting cold-blooded murder.
Other lowlights have included the desecration of a child cancer victim’s grave, and in the most recent outbreak, a 12-year-old stabbed during a terrifying home invasion by masked thugs.
Scotland’s ever diminishing number of crime journalists risk their safety to valiantly shine a spotlight on these scumbags and their money-laundering business fronts which are enabled and protected by pet lawyers and accountants.
The tragic demise of Scotland’s vibrant newspaper industry has significantly reduced this important public service journalism, to the benefit of organised crime.
Scotland’s litigious criminal class frequently deploy expensive lawyers to conduct lawfare, knowing that media companies will back down rather than engage in costly litigation.
As a journalist, I could not understand why politicians and much of the media showed such little interest in what was happening. My experiences, and frustrations, helped motivate my move into politics.
As an MSP I’ve continued to challenge the insidious spread of organised crime, including its grip on senior football clubs and the lucrative world of football agency.
“As a journalist, I could not understand why politicians and much of the media showed such little interest in what was happening”
I’ve also campaigned to reduce drugs in prisons where there has been a spate of fire attacks on the cars of officers who do not get the protection they need.
Last year I received a formal warning from Police Scotland about fresh intelligence suggesting that I was in danger, but I refuse to back down from bullies.
I also remain angry at the lack of outrage when a drug dealer forced a Scottish Conservative councillor colleague to quit his job and community by fire-bombing his family home.
Scotland’s long-running turf war has since gone global with the Lyons forging links to Ireland’s Kinahan drugs cartel, whose bosses have been hit with US sanctions.
I am concerned and confused by the SNP government’s complacency and can’t work out whether they don’t know what is going on in our communities, or whether they are not that bothered by it.
They seem to just ignore Scottish Police Federation warnings that cuts to policing are making it even more difficult for officers to be effective.
There is plenty that John Swinney’s government should be doing – starting by fixing useless proceeds of crime laws that take fractions of a penny from every dirty pound.
And perhaps they could learn something from the US law enforcement’s sanctions against those who direct and profit from the street violence.
They hide in plain sight. We know who they are. They are now so emboldened that they go after journalists, politicians, lawyers, police and prison officers. Will it be the judges next?
To protect our communities and reduce drug deaths, the SNP government must start listening to the police and give them the tools they need to turn the tables on Scotland’s seemingly untouchable criminal class and their white-collar enablers.
For an in-depth report on the origin of Scotland’s gang wars, click here.