29-06-2025
When a new gang took over Edinburgh streets ending in a 'Mexican stand off'
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When cocaine first hit the UK in the 70s and 80s, it was viewed as a costly indulgence reserved for the rich and famous – far beyond the reach of the everyday individual.
By the 90s, an influx of supply reduced prices and suddenly, Edinburgh's bars and clubs were swimming in what had become the go-to recreational substance. This shift spelt bigger earnings for dealers and heightened rivalry.
A merciless Somali drug gang from London, eyeing the bountiful rewards, encroached on the turf and sought to push aside local criminals.
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Rumours suggested that these invading gangs were too intimidated to challenge Glasgow's crime bosses, opting for Edinburgh as a "safer" alternative. However, they underestimated the combined forces of the city's police and native crime lords who aimed to expel these menacing intruders.
The Somali group was reportedly making around £15,000 a week as they targeted the city's estates, armed with an array of lethal weaponry.
Enjoying the spoils, gang members splurged on lavish nights out, dropping £100 on premium vodka and cognac in the capital's clubs. They toted formidable arms including a Mac-10, capable of discharging over 1000 rounds per minute, and they were prepared to use them.
Edinburgh's thriving drug trade also attracted the notorious Yardies, a group of mostly Jamaican gangsters who had relocated from London and Birmingham. They had a fearsome reputation for violence, rivaling that of the Mafia and Triads, in controlling their illicit business.
The Yardies flaunted their wealth, showcasing lavish lifestyles, high-end cars, and designer gold jewelry, as well as their arsenal of automatic guns. With local gangsters also vying for control, Edinburgh teetered on the brink of all-out war.
However, the Yardies weren't content with just supplying powder cocaine; they were determined to hook Scots on the highly addictive and cheaper crack cocaine. In 2001, Edinburgh police faced an uphill battle when a gang of Yardies set up shop in Leith before expanding across the city.
The discovery of a crack consignment in Muirhouse in November of that year was the first indication of the major problem they faced.
The Yardies' reputation for ruthlessly gunning down anyone in their way sent shockwaves through the local drug trade, prompting deals to be cut to avoid encroaching on each other's "patches". Local sex workers, fearful of saying no, were coerced into distributing the drug to clients.
These women were aware of the Yardies' brutal tactics, including rapes, shootings, and kidnappings, which were commonplace in their strongholds in England.
A team of 30 police officers was deployed with the mission to pinpoint and halt the leaders in a bid to curb the gang's ambitious takeover in Scotland.
After a five-month operation, Edinburgh's finest cracked the drug ring wide open and confiscated thousands of pounds worth of narcotics, nailing seven key thugs responsible for the surge in crack around Scotland.
Ultimately, two individuals were caught, tried, and sentenced, while their accomplices fled back to England or Jamaica. In a second attempt by the Brum Yardies to infiltrate Edinburgh in 2010, they were once more foiled by vigilant police work that resulted in over 30 suspects being nicked during high-stakes raids throughout the city.
Meanwhile, Somali gangs, eager to clinch the title of Scotland's drug lords, turned on each other in fierce internal conflicts. The violence peaked with the shocking murder of Mohammed Abdi – the son of a Muslim cleric, gunned down with a Mac-10 machine gun.
The demise of Abdi came as the culmination of a ferocious squabble amongst the gang factions at 11pm on May 25, 2013. He and his mates had been summoned by telephone to Lochend, Edinburgh under the guise of ending the row.
The confrontation escalated into what police described as a "Mexican stand-off", spiralling into a harrowing street showdown culminating with Abdi taking three Mac-10 rounds. By May 2014, the trio implicated in his killing faced justice, bagging a collective 75-year prison sentence.
Drug gangs continue to operate on the capital's streets, but the Yardies have all but withdrawn, the Somalis are still recovering from the lethal shoot-out, and local crime bosses are once again ruling supreme – with Police Scotland persistently in pursuit.
