A suspected Scottish crime boss wanted by Spanish authorities has been deported from Indonesia and is now facing extradition proceedings to Spain following his arrest in Bali.
Steven Lyons, 45, who was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, was detained on 28 March shortly after arriving at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on a flight from Singapore. Indonesian officials said he was flagged on arrival and arrested in connection with alleged drug trafficking and money laundering offences linked to Spain.
Lyons – identified by Indonesian authorities as ‘SL’ and described by them as an alleged ‘mafia boss’ – is accused by Spanish investigators of leading ‘a large-scale transnational criminal organisation’ operating across several countries, including Spain, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkey.
Following his arrest, Lyons was transferred from Bali to Jakarta and deported on Tuesday under escort by officers from Spain’s Guardia Civil. He was flown to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, where he is now being held under a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued by a judge in Malaga (Andalusia), marking the start of formal extradition proceedings to Spain.
Spanish authorities are expected to seek his transfer in the coming weeks, although delays are possible as the legal process unfolds.
The case is closely tied to a wider Spanish-led investigation into organised crime networks operating between southern Spain and northern Europe. Lyons and his wife Amanda – who was arrested in Dubai on the same day – are both wanted by Spanish authorities. The couple had previously lived in Spain, including on the Costa del Sol, before relocating to the Gulf.
Their arrests came just one day after a coordinated operation involving Spanish and Scottish police targeted suspected members of the Lyons crime group. Raids were carried out across multiple locations, including Barcelona and the Malaga province in Spain, as well as several towns in Scotland.
Indonesian officials emphasised that the deportation reflected cooperation with international law enforcement and a firm stance against global criminal networks.
‘This deportation is a concrete step in our commitment to safeguarding national sovereignty,’ said Bugie Kurniawan, head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office.
‘We will not allow Indonesian territory, especially Bali, to become a haven or base of operations for international criminals. Strict immigration oversight is the front line in safeguarding national security from potential foreign threats.’
Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya previously said Lyons was suspected of being the leader of ‘a large-scale transnational criminal organisation engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering’.
Interpol Indonesia official Untung Widyatmoko added that the group’s activities spanned multiple jurisdictions, with Spain a central focus of the investigation.
Authorities are also continuing to search for two associates believed to have travelled to Bali with Lyons but who evaded detection at the airport as they did not have Interpol Red Notices. One of them, Stephen Larwood, had previously been arrested in Dubai in connection with the same network.
While there has been no official confirmation, media reports suggest that Spanish authorities are keen to question Lyons not only in connection to alleged drug trafficking and money laundering, but also about two killings in Spain in 2024.
One of those cases centres on a fatal shooting in August 2024, when a 36-year-old Serbian national was gunned down at a luxury villa party in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol. The victim, who was carrying a false passport, was later identified as having links to a Balkan-based criminal network.
The villa’s owner – who said in a television interview that he hosted ‘private parties’ for wealthy clientele – admitted that guests often included figures connected to organised crime operating along the so-called ‘Costa del Crime’, with attendees arriving from Marbella’s nightlife scene.
The Spanish National Police’s investigation into the killing led detectives to the United Arab Emirates, where a 43-year-old British suspect was arrested under an international warrant. Although his identity was not officially disclosed, reports indicated he had previously appeared in a UK court in connection with an attempted murder case.
Separately, Spanish investigators are also believed to be interested in Lyons in relation to the shooting of Borja Villacís, brother of a former deputy mayor of Madrid.
The 41-year-old was shot dead in June 2024 while awaiting trial on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Three suspects have since been charged, with the killing understood to be linked to organised criminal networks.
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Scottish crime boss Steven Lyons and partner Amanda Lyons arrestedhttps://t.co/dDbM1GSXs6 pic.twitter.com/DhAt7sh8Qx
— STV News (@STVNews) March 30, 2026
Crime boss Steven Lyons deported from Bali to Amsterdam https://t.co/pN4q1IN4Su
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 8, 2026
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