Mob boss Steven Lyons' lawyer claims deportation was 'like a kidnapping'

Crime boss Steven Lyons' deportation in Bali was like "a kidnapping", his lawyer has claimed. The head of the Lyons crime clan appeared for a hearing at Amsterdam District Court today to decide whether he should be extradited from the Netherlands to Spain to face organised crime charges. The 46-year-old was flanked by three armed officers in the court and spoke through a translator. Wearing a hoodie and jeans, he apologised to the judges for his appearance.

He went on to state that his condition was not good and noted he hadn't spoken to his family for seven weeks. Arne Kloosterman, his' lawyer, claimed Lyons' capture and deportation in Bali earlier this year was similar to "a kidnapping". His legal contested his extradition to Spain and said that Spain's Guardia Civil decision to transfer him from Indonesia to the Netherlands was outside of Spain's authority and jurisdiction. The judge's decision will then be published on June 18.

Lyons has been held in a high-security prison alongside other notorious cons since April. He was booted out of Dubai in September after authorities in the UAE probed his links to organised crime. He flitted around between neighbouring Gulf states before travelling to Bali where he was detained on an Interpol Red Notice. Indonesian cops paraded him in an orange jumpsuit on the island.

From there, he was repatriated on a flight from Denpasar to Jakarta and then placed on a flight to Amsterdam. Spanish police claimed they had "smashed" the Lyons' operation following the arrest of multiple associates of the gang. Officers from the Spanish Civil Guard used battering rams to force entry to multiple properties and businesses in a spate of pre-dawn raids on the Costa Del Sol. A total of 14 of Lyons' foot soldiers were arrested in four countries, with 20 people still currently under investigation.

The arrests came as part of Operation Armorum , which has also seen police in Turkey locate and freeze high-value assets linked to the Lyons network. Electronic devices, large amounts of cash, company documents, high-end watches and cryptocurrency wallets were seized as part of the probe. Officers from Police Scotland simultaneously arrested eight men at addresses in Glasgow, Bellshill, Cumbernauld, Gartcosh, Caldercruix, Coatbridge and East Whitburn on March 27. The men all appeared in court charged with a variety of offences, including organised crime.

Spanish investigators claim Lyons laundered upwards of around £26 million. It's reported that the Lyons boss had been on Spain's wanted list for two years.

Police in Spain also carried out a raid on the Spanish pub where Lyons' brother Eddie Jnr and Ross Monaghan were assassinated last year. The Fuengirola pub was one of the 18 places the Civil Guard targeted. The bar reopened under a new name Irish Rovers following the crime, linked by Spanish cops to a turf war between rival gangs in Glasgow, the Daniel and Lyons gangs . Michael Riley, the alleged hitman, is currently being detained at Teixeiro Prison in Spain's north-west region of Galicia after being cuffed in Liverpool and extradited in June last year.

Lyons' wife was also nicked in the Middle East as part of the ongoing international probe to derail a drug trafficking network and the ongoing turf war in Scotland. Amanda Lyons was arrested at Dubai Airport just days after her husband was detained in Bali. She was apprehended by UAE officers after being flagged up as a wanted person by the Interpol. A Dubai Police statement read: The operation was carried out within the framework of Operation Armorum, led by the Spanish Guardia Civil, and resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals across several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, while a further 20 individuals are currently under investigation in Spain.

"As part of their contribution, Dubai Police arrested a member of the criminal organisation upon arrival at a Dubai airport, following the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice against them. The swift action reflects Dubai Police’s high level of readiness and the effectiveness of their integrated security systems in tackling transnational organised crime and supporting international law enforcement cooperation." Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in exclusive offer to celebrate the world cup. Click HERE .