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Edinburgh Live
2 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Live
Ex-Rangers security guard claims club 'aghast' at former Union Bears chief kingpin identity
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A former Rangers security man has claimed the club are stunned after ex-Union Bears chief, Ross McGill, was revealed to be a gangland kingpin at the head of a ferocious gangland war. McGill, 31-year-old, has been orchestrating moves from his Dubai base as he his crew became embroiled in a battle with Edinburgh mob boss Mark Richardson. The conflict, which has also involved the Daniel crime clan, was allegedly caused after a half a million cocaine deal went wrong earlier this year, the Record reports. The ex-Light Blues employee said McGill was so well-respected during his time as ultras boss that he enjoyed a privileged status where he "trusted more than staff" and given access to all areas - even restricted zones on match days. The man, who has asked not to be named over fears for his safety, told the Record: "Everyone at Rangers was completely shocked when it was revealed McGill is the man behind this gang war in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox "We are talking about a guy who was given access to the stadium any time he wanted and was permitted into restricted zones on match days. "He was trusted by the club more than most of the security staff and was respected by the players, managers and directors. "Nobody could have had even the slightest idea about his life of crime. We were led to believe that he ran his own business. "But it did seem strange that he just walked away from the club after being such a central figure for a number of years." McGill joined the Union Bears aged 14 and helped out with setting up displays - but by the time he left in 2021 - he was the group's leader with thousands of ultras under his command. The ex-staff member went on to explain that McGill's relationship with the club was built on his tight grip on his leadership of the group. He continued: "I watched McGill lead the Union Bears and I have insight into his activities inside Ibrox. (Image: Getty Images.) "They fell under his control and was he quick to resolve any incidents that occurred. "Since he left, the relationship between the group club has never been the same. They have been out of control since his departure." An underworld source told the Record McGill began to build a drugs empire after building up connections with other crooks while travelling across Scotland with the Union Bears. However, he was forced to flee the country after thousands of dealers were arrested following the Encrochat messaging service being cracked in 2020, exposing his crimes and leading to a warrant being issued for his arrest. He moved to Malaga and then went on to Dubai, where he built up new connections with global cartel bosses and found himself with access to massive quantities of cocaine. After he was allegedly ripped off by Richardson's crew in the cocaine deal earlier this year, McGill created a fearless new group, Tamo Junto (TMJ), to carry out a series of chilling attacks on his rivals using weapons and firebombs. Underworld contacts told the Record the hood leaned on his experience as Union Bears capo to command control of his violent army. One source said: "McGill is running TMJ in almost exactly the same way he used to run the Union Bears. "He has hundreds of crooks under his and doesn't know most of them personally. "It was the same at the Union Bears, he controlled the group from the top and pulled the strings while barking out orders. "He knows how to command loyalty and organise a large group of footsoldiers and knows how to strike fear into people. "People think he must be backed by someone bigger, but McGill is a lone wolf and used to running his own organisation." Scotland's gang war erupted in March with a series of firebombings as McGill initially went after homes and businesses linked to Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson. The following month the feud moved on to Glasgow as the TMJ gang went after Richardson's associates from the Daniel clan. Tamo Junto have claimed credit for the attacks in a series of unsettling video clips. Following a recent attack at a property in Tranent in East Lothian, McGill's gang boasted they have targeted more than 40 people in a wave of infernos and machete attacks in the past four months. Among the most shocking incidents, Richardson's crony David McMillan was targeted three times by the gang. His house at Pitcairn Grove was torched on April 17 while children were believed to be asleep inside the property. On May 8, thugs targeted the house and set a white SUV vehicle on fire outside the property. Two weeks later McMillan was set upon with machetes by four thugs outside his house but a security guard he had employed came to his rescue. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. Senior members of the Daniel clan were also targeted, including head of the family Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. TMJ released footage of a firebombing attack at his home on John Marshall Drive in Bishopbriggs on April 14. His uncle Norman's house at the nearby Colston Road was torched on the same night. A property registered to Bonzo's mum, Annette, was targeted when bulletproof windows were smashed on April 19. The widow of Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll had her house in Drumchapel Road attacked on May 17. An underworld source told the Record that Kelly 'Bo' Green's youngest child was at home at the time of the incident. TMJ warned that their vendetta against the Daniel and Richardson gangs will continue "for many years to come" despite Police Scotland making 50 arrests so far in their Operation Portaledge probe into the gang war.
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Rangers ultras boss using Lyons-linked Spain hoods to wage gang war across Scotland
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DUBAI-based Mr Big Ross McGill uses Spanish connections to keep his hands clean of violence he orders in Scotland, we can reveal. Mobsters in Marbella are said by sources to have played a key role in identifying targets and recruiting foot soldiers to carry out McGill's orders. 3 Ross McGill has been ordering attacks across Scotland from Dubai 3 McGill has been coordinating the violence via underworld contact in Spain 3 Firebombings and physical attacks have been carried out across the central belt in recent weeks Credit: Supplied It's claimed the Costa Del Sol hoods linked to the notorious Lyons gang have been heavily involved in plotting against members of bitter enemies from the Daniel crime family. Leading figures based in the sunshine bolthole include Steven Lyons, 44, and Ross Monaghan, 43, along with other convicted mobsters operating from Spain. An insider said: 'McGill has no direct contact with the underlings in Scotland who are being paid to carry out these attacks. 'Everything goes through big players in Spain who have been providing addresses and recruiting foot soldiers to carry out the dirty work. 'McGill's rise through the ranks has been meteoric thanks to the criminal connections he made, partly through his role with the Union Bears. 'But he still relies on a network of established gangsters who have an army of mostly young men willing to do their bidding.' We told how the ex-Rangers ultra - dubbed Miami - is waging a terrifying gangland war on Scotland's streets after rising to the top table of the nation's organised crime network. The former Union Bears chief, 31, was pictured at Ibrox in 2021 with then Gers boss Steven Gerrard, 44, and two years earlier with captain James Tavernier, 33. But he left his role with the ultras group just months before he was due to appear in court in early 2022 in connection with a probe into drug dealing and gangsterism. He initially fled to Spain before resurfacing in Dubai from where he's been calling the shots on a vengeful campaign of violence sparked by a dodgy cocaine deal. Cops hunt 3 masked maniacs who 'chopped up' 2 men in gangland attack His self-styled group Tamu Junto has claimed responsibility for a wave of firebombings across the central belt since April, targeting associates of caged crime kingpin Mark Richardson, 38, and the Glasgow-based Daniel mob. A source said: 'McGill is Scotland's most wanted gangster.' We told of claims McGill was introduced to the highest levels of criminal networks by supergang chief James 'The Don' White, 47. He is also a close pal of drug dealer and ex-Union Bears thug Lloyd Cross, 33, now serving a six-year prison stretch for his role in Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson's £100million racket smuggling cocaine in banana boxes. McGill, from East Kilbride, was recently snapped in a white Rolls-Royce in the desert haven favoured by criminals eager to evade the law. It's a far cry from his previous role as a top figure in the fanatical Gers supporters group. We told how the violence was sparked amid claims associates of caged Edinburgh kingpin Richardson ripped him off with fake banknotes over a £500,000 coke deal. Cops have made more than 30 arrests in connection with the feud. The latest attack was a firebombing at the home in Drumchapel, Glasgow, of Kelly 'Bo' Green, 45, previously the partner of murdered Daniel enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, 29. There have been claims of truce talks in Dubai, where Daniel clan associates have made efforts to persuade McGill to call off the mayhem - but been rebuffed. Underworld sources last week alleged McGill fled from a nightclub in the UAE bolthole after spotting heavies linked to Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, 45, nearby. We told in February of claims Spain-based Lyons, 44, has been putting his hoods through lie detector tests after racking up debt to the feared Kinahan cartel. Sources revealed the gang kingpin has been 'on edge' over a series of thefts and police seizures that put him under pressure from the notorious Irish mob. The revelations emerged after a Lyons stash house was robbed of £600,000 from drugs in November. A source said: 'Lyons is on edge these days because he is in debt to the Kinahans.'
Scottish Sun
17-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Mr Big behind Scotland's new gang war revealed to be ex-Union Bears chief
A source said: 'McGill is Scotland's most wanted gangster.' 'MIAMI' UNMASKED Mr Big behind Scotland's new gang war revealed to be ex-Union Bears chief Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE ex-Rangers ultra waging a terrifying gangland war on Scotland's streets can be unmasked for the first time. Former Union Bears chief Ross McGill, 31 is the Dubai-based hood known as 'Miami'. 3 McGill pictured next to Gers captain James Tavernier 3 He was recently snapped in a white Rolls Royce in Dubai 3 The ex-UB chief announced in September he was leaving his role as so-called UB 'lead capo' He is behind a wave of firebombings across the central belt. McGill has been hunted by cops for three years over claims he was involved in drug dealing and serious crime. But he fled the UK in 2022 — months after he announced he was stepping down as Rangers ultras' leader — amid fears he would be arrested after cops cracked encrypted phone network EncroChat. Sources say McGill, who uses the nickname Miami, initially fled to Spain before moving to Dubai. He has resurfaced as an aspiring crimelord, calling the shots on an ongoing underworld turf feud that has seen a wave of attacks in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Scot was recently snapped in a white Rolls-Royce in the desert haven favoured by criminals eager to evade the law. Previously he was a top figure in the fanatical Gers supporters group — even posing for photos next to captain James Tavernier, 33, and ex-manager Steven Gerrard, 44. Last night a source said: 'Ross McGill is a well-known figure in football circles due to the role he had with the Union Bears. 'He was seen as a very effective leader and built up connections with the club as a representative of the ultras group. 'When he left his role he was given a handshake from Gerrard, who was happy to pose for a photo widely shared on social media. The DOWNFALL of Scotland's biggest gangster - Jamie 'The Iceman' Stevenson Part Two 'But no one at the Ibrox club, including Gerrard, would have had any clue that McGill was part of a police investigation into serious organised crime. 'It will come as a total shock for them to learn what he's accused of.' Light Blues skipper Tavernier shared a picture on Twitter in July 2019 when McGill presented him with a trophy from the ultras. The ace wrote: 'Honoured to have received last year's player of the year award from Ross and the Union Bears last night.' In September 2021, McGill announced he was leaving his role as so-called UB 'lead capo' — sparking a wave of tributes from fellow fans. One wrote on a forum: 'Wish him all the best, he's built that group from nothing and led a tremendous singing section for years.' Another added: 'He has been absolutely fantastic. Cap doffed sir. 'Replacement has big shoes to fill, but we wish him all the best.' Another Light Blues fan chipped in: 'All the best to Ross and thanks for the tireless efforts in bringing colour and of course the noise.' But the supporters had no idea McGill, originally from East Kilbride, was already being investigated by cops over links to organised crime. Underworld sources say that since then he has made connections with cartel Mr Bigs. Among his close associates is said to be Stephen 'Jimmy' Jamieson, 42, former right-hand man of Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, 60. It's claimed McGill was introduced to the highest levels of criminal networks by supergang chief James 'The Don' White, 47. RICHARDSON CRONY VAN IS TORCHED EXCLUSIVE by Graham Mann and Harry Williamson THUGS torched a van in another strike on caged kingpin Mark Richardson's cronies. The charred motor was seen parked outside homes in Newcraighall, Edinburgh. It was owned by a company linked to Paddy Beatson — a well-known associate of the besieged mobster. Gunshots were allegedly fired into Beatson's home in the city's Niddrie in March, when McGill began targeting his rivals' allies. We also revealed how gangsters hired a hitman to hunt down enemies in Richardson's crew including Beatson. A mysterious group known as Tamu Junto has been targeting homes linked to Richardson and the feared Daniels crime clan. Police Scotland said: 'About 7.05pm on Friday, we were called to a report of a van on fire. 'There were no injuries. The fire is being treated as wilful. Inquiries are ongoing.' He is also a close pal of cocaine dealer and ex-Union Bears thug Lloyd Cross, 33, now serving a six-year prison stretch for his role in Iceman's £100million racket smuggling cocaine in banana boxes. And there are disputed claims his rapid rise has been boosted by support from gang chiefs Steven Lyons, 44, and Ross Monaghan, 43. The pair are among underworld figures said to be revelling in the violence being inflicted on targets linked to long-standing enemies Mark Richardson, 38, and Glasgow's notorious Daniel mob. With White banged up in jail, it's claimed McGill now oversees drug routes from South America previously established by Iceman plus James, 52, and Barry Gillespie, 48. Stevenson is set to stay behind bars until he's in his seventies while the brothers, from Rutherglen, near Glasgow, have not seen since 2019 — amid fears they have been murdered in Brazil. That has helped pave the way for McGill to be fast-tracked to the top of the criminal pyramid. We told how sources claim he sees himself as the successor to Scotland's criminal throne and is determined to show he has what it takes to become a feared figure. It's a far cry from McGill's early efforts to become a legitimate businessman. He set up a catering operation called Gourmet Pie Ltd that was dissolved in July 2023. His other failed ventures include a construction business, takeaway food and mobile phone stands, a restaurant, a dry-cleaning company, a management consultancy and a fitness firm. McGill's name and photos of him have been circulating online for months with gangland figures well aware of his role in the turf war. We told how the violence was sparked amid claims associates of caged Edinburgh kingpin Richardson ripped him off with fake banknotes over a £500,000 coke deal. WANNABE MOB BOSS'S £2K CHARITY NEVIS TREK By Graham Mann WANTED man McGill previously raised more than £2,000 for Rangers' charity by climbing Ben Nevis with mates. The former Union Bears chief rallied fellow Gers supporters to support his trip up Scotland's highest mountain. McGill — now holed up in Dubai — earned £2,355 for the Ibrox side's foundation plus a veterans' charity. He launched his appeal on JustGiving ahead of the June 2016 fundraiser. The aspiring crime boss told supporters: 'On Saturday 4th of June, a group of us will be leaving Glasgow for Fort William with the aim of climbing Ben Nevis. 'The walk will take around 5-6 hours, and will see us climb to over 1,300 metres. 'All money raised from the walk will be going to two very worthwhile charities — the Erskine Hospital for ex servicemen and the Rangers Charity Foundation. 'Please donate whatever you can and help us reach our target for these great causes. 'If you are interested in taking part then contact Ross McGill on Facebook. Alternatively if you are on Follow Follow you can send a PM.' He ordered a wave of revenge attacks that erupted in the capital more than two months ago, later spreading to the Glasgow area — where people linked to the Daniel family have been targeted. Videos of some of the incidents have circulated on social media, with a group dubbed Tamo Junto, or TMJ, taking responsibility. Cops have made more than 30 arrests in connection with the feud. The latest attack was a firebombing at the home in Drumchapel, Glasgow, of Kelly 'Bo' Green, 45 — previously the partner of murdered Daniel enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, 29. There have been claims of truce talks in Dubai, where Daniel clan associates have made efforts to persuade McGill to call off the mayhem — but been rebuffed. Underworld sources last week alleged McGill fled from a nightclub in the UAE bolthole after spotting heavies linked to Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, 45, nearby.
