More than 130 organised crime groups ‘active’ in Scotland

Figures show that 135 serious organised crime groups are currently assessed as active in Scotland, seven of which involve children or young people.

Data obtained by STV News through a freedom of information request details known crime operations in Scotland over the last five years.

The total number of active serious and organised crime groups fell this year compared with 2024/25 – but the figure is higher than five years ago.

Data also show 50 Scottish crime groups currently have international links, 62 involve drugs and 41 are entangled in money laundering.

STV News was not granted a regional breakdown of where these groups operate in Scotland. The figures also do not tell us what kind of involvement children have in those involving young people.

Police Scotland has made over 80 arrests of suspected gangland figures in recent years as part of Operation Portaledge and Operation Venetic.

That recently included Steven ‘Bonzo’ Daniel, the alleged head of the Glasgow-based Daniel crime family, which has, for two decades, been locked in a bitter feud with the rival Lyons clan.

Many of those arrests were made after global authorities cracked EncroChat – a messaging app used by organised criminals. It’s understood those arrests will have been impacted by those arrests.

Detective chief Superintendent Paul Grainger from Police Scotland said: “Serious and organised crime causes significant harm and as part of our strategy to tackle this criminality we are continually monitoring groups involved.

“While the numbers will inevitably fluctuate over time, the overall impact they have on our communities is unacceptable.

“Working in partnership, including with the members of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, to tackle serious and organised criminality and making Scotland a hostile country for these groups to carry out their activities remains a priority.

“Operation Venetic resulted in several serious and organised crime groups in Scotland being dismantled and was the outcome of the interrogation of EncroChat data. This work remains ongoing.”