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undefined | Indonesia extradites Scottish man sought by Spain as crime boss

Indonesia extradited a 45‑year‑old Scottish national, Steven Lyons, to Spain on Wednesday after his removal had been delayed several times while police continued an ongoing investigation. Lyons, described by law‑enforcement as a senior figure in an international crime syndicate, was flown from Bali to Amsterdam and is to be transferred onward to Spain to face charges of drug trafficking and money‑laundering, officials said.

Lyons was arrested on 28 March at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali after arriving from Singapore, when Indonesia’s immigration system flagged him through an Interpol Red Notice issued at Spain’s request. He is alleged to be the leader of the “Lyons crime family” and has been on Spain’s wanted list for about two years following a 2024 killing there. Authorities say his transnational network, operating out of Scotland, controlled narcotics routes between Spain and the United Kingdom and laundered proceeds through shell companies across Europe and the Middle East, including in Spain, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey.

Prior to his arrest, coordinated raids in Scotland and Spain led to multiple detentions, and additional suspects were seized in Turkey, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Lyons arrived in Bali with two companions who remain on the island, although he claimed to have travelled alone. Media reports note that Lyons survived a 2006 shooting in Glasgow that killed his cousin, later moved to Spain and settled in Dubai, and that his brother and an associate were killed in a suspected gang‑land attack at a beachfront bar in Fuengirola, southern Spain, last year.