GANGSTER Steven ‘Bonzo’ Daniel held secret talks with allies today after the arrest of a rival hood who’s waged war on his empire from Dubai.
The Daniel crime family boss has been seen for the first time since Ross ‘Miami’ McGill began a seven month firebombing campaign via his Tamo Junto thugs.
Steven ‘Bonzo’ Daniel outside Paisley Cab Company on Wednesday
Steven Malcolm is a director of a taxi firm based at the premises
But just hours after McGill – Scotland’s most wanted man – was arrested by Dubai police along with another gang rival, Steven Lyons, Bonzo was locked in talks to prepare a response, sources said.
It also came a day after a jailed crony of mobster McGill faced attack behind bars by Daniel hoods after the kingpin was busted.
Bonzo was spotted breaking cover
An insider said: “Bonzo wanted to chat about the huge developments in Dubai.
“His family and business have been under sustained attack for months.
“But now the threat to the empire – and their lives – is gone.
“The Daniel crew and their associates now have the upper hand again.”
Gangster Steven “Bonzo” Daniel, part of the Daniel crime clan
Ross “Miami” McGill
The near three hour talks were held in Paisley, Renfrewshire at offices occupied by Paisley Cab Co Ltd.
According to Companies House, Steven Malcolm, 61 – one of Scotland’s richest men – is an active director of the private hire taxi firm and is a known associate of Bonzo.
Bonzo, 45, his mum Annette Daniel, 63 and extended family have been targeted in multiple firebomb and blade attacks in a vicious gang war sparked by claims McGill, 31, was ripped off in a drug deal.
We told yesterday how Daniel associates were celebrating after McGill, Lyons, 44 and two other associates were busted by cops in Dubai – and now face being extradited back to Scotland to face justice.
Bonzo arrived at the taxi firm in Paisley town centre around 2.45pm yesterday flanked by two heavies before leaving around 5.30pm.
The source added: “The talks were carefully arranged and times moved about for safety but Bonzo can sleep a bit safer now that his key rivals have lost their power.”
McGill and Lyons were last night behind bars in the United Arab Emirates with fellow mobster Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Jamieson and cocaine dealer Steven Larwood, both 42, who were also nicked in the swoops.
Glasgow gangs the Lyons and Daniels have been at war for more than a decade.
The stunning development emerged as cops here continue to probe a wave of gangland violence said to have been orchestrated by McGill since March, with almost 60 suspects arrested.
The gang war here was triggered by claims associates of caged Edinburgh druglord Mark Richardson, 38, had ripped off McGill, from East Kilbride, with £500,000 of fake cash in a coke deal.
The chaos soon spilled into Glasgow, where members of the notorious Daniel family were targeted.
Larwood was said to be raking in up to £3million a month shipping cocaine after linking up with McGill – the ex-Rangers Union Bears ultras leader we revealed as the feud’s instigator.
He has ties to Lyons, who switched to a UAE bolthole after years in Spain where his brother Eddie Jnr, 46, and close ally Ross Monaghan, 43, were shot dead in a brutal execution in May.
Former Rangers ultras leader Ross ‘Miami’ McGill
We also told how Jamieson, former best pal of top gangster Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson, 60, was nicked in Dubai in July after a gym bust-up with McGill. He was later released on bail.
Taxi tycoon Steven Malcolm was with Bonzo at a Rangers match only hours before he almost died in a horrific machete attack in May 2017.
The then Glasgow Private Hire boss was seen on CCTV with the hood, nephew of late crime lord Jamie Daniel, heading to a hospitality box at Ibrox stadium ahead of Rangers’ match against Aberdeen.
Unknown to Bonzo and Malcolm, the Skoda Octavia had been bugged with a tracking device and after dropping off Malcolm, he was followed in a 100mph chase through the city and then attacked.
In May, senior Lyons gang figures Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jr were shot dead in a Spanish bar but Scots cops have said there is nothing to link it to the gang war.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
