Steven Daniel Arrested in Major Scottish Crime Raid

Published: 26 August 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

One of Scotland’s most prominent alleged gangland figures has been arrested during an early-morning police operation targeting serious and organised crime.

Steven “Bonzo” Daniel, 46, was taken into custody at about 06:00 at his home in Robroyston, in the north of Glasgow. Police said the arrest was connected to investigations into serious and organised crime, firearms and drugs offences.

Daniel is understood to be associated with the notorious Daniel crime family, which has been involved in a long-running and violent feud with the rival Lyons family. The dispute has continued for decades and has become one of the most closely watched conflicts within Scotland’s organised crime landscape.

The arrest was carried out as part of Operation Venetic, a major investigation that has targeted criminal networks across the UK following the infiltration of an encrypted communications platform used by organised crime groups.

The scale of Wednesday’s operation became apparent before sunrise, when dozens of police officers gathered at a nearby station for a briefing before travelling in convoy to Daniel’s property.

BBC Scotland News was present as officers carried out the operation.

Two uniformed officers initially approached Daniel’s home and spoke to him through a first-floor window. An officer accompanied by a police dog subsequently entered the operation.

Shortly afterwards, Daniel emerged from the property through the front door and was taken into the back of a police van.

The arrest formed part of a simultaneous series of enforcement actions.

A second man, Steven Gordon, 39, was also arrested at a property in Garthamlock, less than four miles from Daniel’s home. Police said Gordon was arrested in connection with serious and organised crime, firearms and drugs offences and conspiracy to murder.

The arrests underline the continued focus by Scottish law enforcement agencies on criminal networks suspected of operating across Glasgow and beyond.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Ferry said the operation demonstrated Police Scotland’s commitment to pursuing people involved in serious organised crime.

“The chief constable has made it clear that those intent on being involved in serious and organised crime will be brought to justice,” he said.

He added that the enforcement action demonstrated that commitment and said police would continue using “every tool and tactic available” to pursue those involved in serious criminality.

The operation forms part of the wider Scottish response to information obtained through the EncroChat communications network.

Operation Venetic began after the National Crime Agency successfully accessed the encrypted communications system used by criminals. The intelligence obtained from the platform has subsequently been shared with law enforcement agencies and has led to investigations and arrests across Britain.

In Scotland, the operation has resulted in more than 60 arrests since 2020.

The intelligence has helped investigators uncover alleged links between criminal groups, drug trafficking, firearms activity and other serious offences. It has also provided police with information that can be used to build cases against individuals suspected of involvement in organised crime.

Daniel’s arrest is particularly significant because of his alleged position within Glasgow’s gangland hierarchy.

He has long been associated with the Daniel crime family, which has been involved in a bitter feud with the Lyons family for around 25 years. The conflict has been linked to repeated violence and has remained a major concern for police attempting to tackle organised crime in the city.

The history surrounding the feud has also contributed to Daniel’s high profile within Scotland’s criminal underworld.

In May 2017, he suffered serious facial injuries after being attacked following a high-speed car chase through Glasgow. The incident highlighted the level of violence surrounding rival criminal groups in the city.

Despite the passage of time, organised crime remains a significant policing challenge in Scotland.

Criminal networks can operate through complex relationships involving drugs, firearms, money laundering and intimidation. Police have increasingly relied on intelligence-led operations, surveillance, financial investigations and digital evidence to disrupt those networks.

The use of encrypted communications has become particularly important to modern organised crime investigations. Criminals have historically relied on secure communications to coordinate activities while attempting to prevent law enforcement agencies from accessing their conversations.

The EncroChat investigation changed that dynamic considerably.

Once investigators gained access to the platform, messages allegedly exchanged by criminals provided law enforcement with a substantial body of intelligence. In many cases, the information has been used to identify suspected members of criminal organisations and establish connections between people involved in different forms of criminality.

Police Scotland has continued to pursue cases arising from that intelligence years after the original operation.

The arrest of Daniel and Gordon therefore represents another stage in a wider effort to dismantle established criminal networks rather than simply responding to individual offences.

For communities affected by organised crime, such operations can have significance beyond the arrest of individual suspects. Drugs, firearms and organised violence can have consequences for families and neighbourhoods that may never be directly involved in criminal activity.

Police have repeatedly argued that disrupting organised crime is essential to reducing the wider harm associated with criminal networks.

At the same time, arrests and allegations do not amount to convictions. The men arrested in the latest operation remain suspects, and any allegations against them would have to be tested through the Scottish criminal justice system.

Police have not provided further details about the evidence underpinning the arrests or the specific allegations being investigated.

The operation also illustrates the continuing importance of cooperation between national and local law enforcement agencies.

The National Crime Agency’s work to penetrate encrypted communications systems generated intelligence that could be used by Police Scotland to investigate suspected criminal activity within Scotland. Such cooperation has allowed authorities to pursue cases that might otherwise have remained difficult to detect.

The latest arrests are likely to renew attention on Glasgow’s long-running gangland rivalries and the efforts being made to tackle them.

For Daniel, the early-morning arrest brings another significant development in a life that has already been marked by allegations of organised criminal activity and violent encounters.

For police, however, the focus is broader: disrupting the networks that allow serious organised crime to continue operating and preventing criminal groups from profiting from drugs, weapons and violence.

Assistant Chief Constable Ferry said enforcement activity would continue, signalling that the latest arrests are unlikely to represent the end of the investigation.

As Operation Venetic continues to generate new cases from intelligence gathered through encrypted communications, Scottish police are expected to maintain pressure on suspected organised crime groups.

The arrest of Steven Daniel and the simultaneous detention of Steven Gordon demonstrate that authorities remain focused on individuals they believe occupy important positions within Scotland’s organised crime networks.

The investigation remains ongoing, and further developments could follow as police examine evidence and determine what charges, if any, should proceed through the courts.

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