PROSECUTORS dropped drug driving and speeding charges against the alleged hitman accused of murdering two Scots gangsters.
Law chiefs ditched proceedings against Michael Riley, 44, after he was nicked and made the subject of an extradition bid by Spanish authorities.
Murdered Lyons gnag duo Eddie Lyons Jnr, left, and Ross Monaghan
The moment a gunman stormed the pub in Fuengirola was caught on CCTV
The bar in Spain where the Scots gangland figures were shot dead on May 31
Riley, of Huyton, Liverpool, was due to appear at North Wales Magistrates Court tomorrow in connection with the alleged driving offences.
But the Crown Prosecution Service (SPS) decided to discontinue the case on Tuesday, June 17, four days after Riley was arrested in Liverpool.
A court service spokeswoman confirmed a “notice to withdraw” the charges was lodged and rubber-stamped last week.
We told how Riley plans to fight extradition over the murders of Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, in Fuengirola on May 31.
Cops in Spain issued an international arrest warrant for the suspect who was then nabbed by Merseyside police on June 13 and remanded in custody after being deemed a flight risk.
He appeared at the London court via videolink from HMP Wandsworth on Thursday but the hearing was halted due to technical difficulties.
Judge John Bristow told him: “You have not consented to your extradition, so there is going to be a hearing on October 9.
As he was being led away, Riley shouted at someone in the public gallery: “Stop making funny faces. Stop looking at me.”
He is accused of gunning down two Lyons gang bosses.
We told how the doomed pair were drinking in Monaghans bar after watching the Champions League final when a masked gunman stormed the boozer in front of horrified holidaymakers and staff.
The brazen killings sparked an international manhunt that ended with Riley’s arrest at an address in Liverpool two weeks later.
We also told how cops in Spain and Scotland have given conflicting information about who is believed to have ordered the hit.
Three days after the horror, Police Scotland stated they had “no intelligence” to suggest they were linked to the ongoing gangland turf war here.
But Spanish counterparts blamed the Daniel crime clan bitter rivals of the Lyons at a press conference in Malaga this week.
A source claims a captured mobile phone holds the key to proving the culprits. Insiders allege it has data linking Riley to Daniel hoods.
A gangland source said: “A phone in a crime like this is gold-dust to investigators. It appears that Police Scotland were not made aware of this discovery and are out the loop. It’s not a good look for them.”
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
