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Nine men in court after organised crime raids in Scotland and Spain

News imageBBC A man being led away from a van by another man wearing a black jumper and a shirt. He is walking into a brick building.BBC
A man arrested during raids in Glasgow and Lanarkshire is pictured here at Airdrie Sheriff Court, while two men have already appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court

Nine men have appeared in court following a joint Scottish-Spanish investigation into organised crime.

Police carried out simultaneous raids in the two countries on Friday, in an operation targeting alleged members of the Lyons crime group.

Eight of the suspects arrested in Scotland have been released on bail. Of those, seven face drugs charges.

A ninth man charged with conspiracy and assault has been remanded in custody.

All of the arrested men made no plea during private hearings held at sheriff courts in Airdrie and Glasgow. The men are:

Liam Boyle, 45, of Bellshill

Michael McKenna, 35, of Coatbridge

Colin Greechan, 64, of Whitburn

Craig McQuiggan, 45, of North Lanarkshire

Paul Reid, 46, from North Lanarkshire

John McMenemy, 41, of Cumbernauld,

Ross Cameron, 39, of Glasgow

Peter Hetherington, 39, of Milton in Glasgow,

Scott Lawlor, 38, of Erskine, Renfrewshire

Eight people were arrested in Scotland during the dawn raids on Friday

The court appearances came after a total of 13 people were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Friday.

Properties in Scotland and Spain were targeted by law enforcement officers investigating a suspected drug trafficking network.

The joint Scottish-Spanish operation targeted properties in Bellshill, Glasgow, Gartcosh, Whitburn, Caldercruix, Cumbernauld, Coatbridge, Barcelona and in the Malaga area.

Officers in Turkey seized two plots of land and a villa estimated to be worth about €600,000 (£520,000), as well as shares in a company.

Officers made eight arrests in Scotland and five in Spain.