A SCOTTISH gangster has pleaded guilty to a serious organised crime offence at the High Court in Edinburgh.
This was following Liam McDermid’s attempts to recover a firearm using a metal detector near a nursery and private girls’ school.
The 25-year-old was seen searching for the weapon on 5 June before later being arrested; police later recovered the firearm on 11 June.
McDermid, a foot soldier in the latest surge in Scottish gang violence, has become the first person to be convicted of organised crime offences since the beginning of Police Scotland’s Operation Portaledge – an initiative launched to tackle gangland activity in Scotland.
McDermid was observed by police searching for the firearm on the Roseburn Path – a popular Edinburgh green space and cycle route.
McDermid has 25 previous convictions and pleaded guilty to another charge of being involved with serious organised crime.
After pleading guilty to the organised crime charges, McDermid was warned that he faces “substantial” jail time.
He admitted to using a metal detector to search around the Roseburn Path for the firearm, as well as admitting to communicating with others about the location of the gun.
McDermid will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh next month.
Edinburgh and Glasgow have seen a recent surge in gang violence in connection to the Lyons and Daniel crime families.
The feud between the rival gangs heated up earlier this year after Ross McGill – a crime boss recently arrested and released in Dubai – and rival kingpin Mark Richardson reportedly fell out over a stolen cache of cocaine.
McGill and his Tamo Junto (TMJ) gang have since targeted people and properties across Edinburgh and Glasgow.
A string of firebombing and shootings have followed, terrifying locals.
The violence is part of the long-running feud between the Lyons and Daniel crime family, which has been ongoing since 2001.
According to the latest figures released by Police Scotland, 57 people have so far been arrested in connection to organised crime because of Operation Portaledge.
Detective chief superintendent Dave Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “The recovery of the firearm formed part of a long and incredibly complex investigation, which remains ongoing.
“Detectives, working alongside specialist officers from across the country, were meticulous in going through every detail and ultimately bringing this man to justice.
“This conviction shows Police Scotland’s commitment to the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and its national strategy.
“I want to make it clear to those intent on being involved in serious and organised crime that we will not give up and you will be brought to justice.”
In May 2025, Eddie Lyons Jr and Ross Monaghan, two men connected to the Lyons crime family, were shot and killed outside a bar in Fuengirola, Spain, although Scottish police say this was unconnected to the recent TMJ gang war.
Last month, Steven Lyons, Ross McGill, Steven Larwood, and Stephen Jamieson were arrested in the UAE in connection with criminality ranging from drug importation to a feud between rival criminal gangs in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Lyons, McGill, and Larwood were quickly released again, but Jamieson remained in custody for a while longer.
Operation Portaledge remains ongoing in the east and west of the country.
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