Indonesia arrests Scottish man sought by Spain in connection with an international crime syndicate

DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — A Scottish man, described as a senior figure in an international crime syndicate, was arrested shortly after landing on the resort island of Bali, authorities in Indonesia said Tuesday.

The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into custody by immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday on arrival from Singapore, according to Untung Widiyatmoko, head of Indonesia’s branch of Interpol.

The immigration system had flagged him as the subject of an Interpol Red Notice issued at Spain’s request. A Red Notice is an alert issued by Interpol at the request of a member country for police worldwide to arrest a suspect for extradition.

Lyons, who is wanted in Spain and the United Kingdom in connection with organized crime, drug trafficking and money laundering, will be extradited to Spain on Wednesday, Widiyatmoko told reporters in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali.

Lyons has been on Spain’s wanted list for about two years, following a murder case there in 2024. Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya said the arrest was part of a joint investigation involving Spanish and Scottish police.

According to Widiyatmoko, Lyons is alleged to have led a crime ring that used shell companies for money laundering in Europe and the Middle East — including in Spain, Scotland, England, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey,

He said police in Scotland and Spain last week carried out raids in connection with Lyons case resulting in multiple arrests with the help of Europol — a European Union law enforcement cooperation hub — and also Turkey, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.

Scottish media have reported that Lyons survived a 2006 shooting in Glasgow that killed his cousin and later moved to Spain before settling in Dubai, in the UAE. Last May, his brother and an associate were shot and killed in a suspected gangland shooting at a beachfront bar in Fuengirola, southern Spain.

Lyons arrived in Bali with two companions who are believed to still be on the island, said Bugie Kurniawan of Bali’s immigration office. He said Spain’s Interpol has identified them as members of the same criminal cartel but they are not on any arrest warrants.