A SECURITY expert has told how China is an attractive bolthole for gang war hood Ross ‘Miami’ McGill and global cartel heads in the fearsome Kinahan cartel.
Kathryn Westmore – a guru on money laundering plots run by Chinese crime gangs – reckons the secretive Asian state could be the ideal hideaway for fugitive gangsters.
She gave her insight after we told of underworld claims McGill relocated to China after being booted out of Dubai amid Scotland’s raging gang war.
Ms Westmore – a senior research fellow at the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI – the UK‘s leading defence think tank – says it’s no surprise the Irish Kinahans and their associates would seek sanctuary in China.
She said: “It’s clear that the Kinahan Cartel has had links established with China for a while now.
“The Kinahans have links to Chinese organised crime groups and, in particular, money laundering groups.
“The reason why China is appealing is that there is limited law enforcement [co-operation] between countries in the West and China.
“That’s an advantage if you’re a criminal. It is less likely that you would be extradited.’”
She also warned Chinese organised crime mobs were ‘offered a degree of protection by the state’, especially if their activities were harming the West.
She added: “That creates an environment where organised crime groups flourish.”
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We told how turf war kingpin, McGill, 31, jetted to Asia after he was controversially freed from prison in Dubai last month.
The ex-Rangers ultras boss was said to be in “good spirits” amid fears he has evaded extradition over terrifying underworld violence in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
We previously told of McGill’s connections to the Kinahan cartel through associates in Scotland‘s notorious Lyons gang – bitter enemies of the Daniel mob who were targeted by McGill’s foot soldiers.
The cocky ex-Rangers ultra grinned as he flaunted his freedom in a social media snap weeks after his release from a hellhole Dubai jail.
It is understood the Scot initially fled to the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.
Insiders told how he then hopped on a flight to Thailand and headed to China, which does not have a bilateral extradition treaty with the UK.
Scots cops are believed to be in the dark about McGill’s whereabouts following his brief spell in prison after a raid on his Dubai home last month.
A source told The Scottish Sun: “McGill travelled to Saudi before flying from Riyadh to Thailand and Hong Kong.
“He made the trip on his own but seemed to be in good spirits and is pretty confident he won’t be back in custody any time soon.
“He has been in contact with associates in Scotland.”
The former Union Bears leader, from East Kilbride, left the UK in 2022 while facing a court case over claims of being involved in serious organised crime.
We told how he lived it up in a £2million mansion in Dubai until his shock arrest.
Cops in the UAE also nicked his Scots allies Steven Lyons, 44, Steven Larwood, 42, and Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Jamieson, 42.
Glasgow gang chief Lyons is understood to have sought refuge in Spain or Turkey while cocaine dealer Larwood’s whereabouts remain unknown.
It is believed alleged mobster Jamieson remains locked up.
McGill is accused of ordering violence that has rocked Scotland since March over a cocaine deal rip-off he blamed on associates of Edinburgh gang boss Mark Richardson, 38.
The carnage coincided with the murders of Lyons gang heads Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Junior, 46, in Fuengirola, Spain, on May 31.
It came amid a wave of firebombings and attempted murders in Scotland orchestrated from Dubai by McGill.
Suspected Spain hitman Michael Riley, 44, was extradited from the UK last week to face trial.
We told how the chaos has shifted power from the Lyons mob to the Daniel clan.
A source said: “Since the killings in Fuengirola the D-Mob have regained control of much of the north of Glasgow from the Lyons crew.
“And most know if you control that part then you basically control the city.
“The Lyons have not recovered from the Spain murders. Understandably it rocked them to the core.”
American and Irish crimefighters are hunting Daniel Kinahan, 47, his godfather dad Christy, 67, and brother Christy Jnr, 43. They have put a £4million pound bounty on their heads.
Scots cops probing the carnage here have arrested 57 suspects as part of their Operation Portaledge crackdown.
The first ‘Tamo Junto’ footsoldier caged over McGill’s gang war faces reprisals in jail over his role in the carnage, underworld sources claim.
Liam McDermid, 25, was locked up last week after he admitted using a metal detector in a bid to find a stashed gun linked to the ongoing feud.
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An insider said: “He has never served time before and could be in for a nasty shock.
“Everybody knows he’s been grafting for McGill and that puts a big target on his back.”
