Dubai Police and the UAE's Ministry of Interior have played a key role in an international effort to dismantle a Scottish crime gang described as one of the "most violent" to emerge from the country in decades.
Police arrested a leading member of the Lyons group at Dubai International Airport after an Interpol Red Notice was issued. It was one of 14 arrests made in four countries as part of a major crackdown on money laundering and transnational organised crime.
Investigations, led by Spain's Civil Guard, revealed an extensive criminal network was suspected of drug trafficking and money laundering, with operations spanning Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The illicit activities are said to have been built around a sophisticated system of shell companies and complex financial transactions to manage and conceal its proceeds.
Dubai Police, in co-ordination with the ministry, formed part of an international task force that included Spanish police, Europol, the UK's National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
The joint campaign – called Operation Armorum – led to the identification of gang members, the dismantling of its structures and the seizure of assets linked to its crimes, state news agency Wam reported.
Spain's Civil Guard is one of the country's two national police agencies focused on high-level security and tackling serious crime. It said the operation involved 18 raids in the last week, with most taking place on the Costa del Sol and in Barcelona.
The force said a haul of electronic devices, cash, luxury watches and cryptocurrency wallets were seized during the raids, which followed a three-year investigation into the crime ring carried out alongside police in Scotland.
