Stephen “Jimmy” Jamieson can be unmasked as the mobster who sparked a gym brawl that led to several heavyweight gangland arrests in Dubai.
16:45, 30 Apr 2026
Stephen ‘Jimmy’ Jamieson with gangster Jamie ‘The Iceman’ Stevenson
Stephen “Jimmy” Jamieson can now be unmasked as the mobster who sparked a gym brawl that led to the heavyweight gangster arrests in Dubai.
Jamieson was today jailed for six years for orchestrating a multi-million pounds drug plot after he was captured in the UAE last September.
He came to the attention of the authorities in the country after a rammy in a gym he shared with kingpin Ross McGill.
The row is believed to have brought heat on the pair from cops who began to look into their connections to organised crime.
Lyons family boss Steven, 45, and cocaine dealer Steven Larwood, 42, were also arrested in the sting.
McGill, Lyons and Larwood were released after 12 days and told by the authorities not to return to the country. An underworld source previously told the Record that the gym brawl had nothing to do with the gang war McGill is waging in Scotland amidst his feud with Edinburgh mobster Mark Richardson over a stash of stolen cocaine.
However, he said that their hot-headed exchange on Dubai turf was enough to put them under the spotlight.
He said: “The gym thing was nothing to do with this gang feud and the pair of them never had any bad blood before, but they bumped into each other started talking about some street business they were both involved in back home. Then they started arguing and they are hot-headed guys so both were refusing to back down.
“The guy had a mate with him from the southside of Glasgow who’s a bit of a loudmouth. He got involved, started throwing around insults and making threats, then things escalated pretty quickly after that and the three of them were on their feet shouting each another.
“Gym staff had to intervene to ask them to calm down.”
He continued: “Gangsters living over there know the score as far as crime is concerned, so should never do anything that could lead to them getting arrested.”
Two months later, in separate night-time raids, both McGill and the other man were rounded up and taken to a police station before McGill’s pals Lyons and Larwood were also brought in.
The source added: “A heavy police presence descended on all of them late one night. Armed officers surrounded their apartments and they were cuffed and taken into custody while their houses got completely turned over.
Jamieson, 43, was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court after admitting being involved in the collection and supply of cocaine, diamorphine (heroin) and class C drug etizolam over a 54-day period in 2020. He used the proceeds of his offending to travel to and from Dubai and purchase watches and cars – including, he told an associate, spending £146,000 on a Jeep.
The mobster was brought back to home soil after being extradited from the Middle East by Police Scotland last month. Jamieson is known as a cronie of crime boss Jamie ‘Iceman’ Stevenson, who is currently behind bars for heading up a plot to smuggle cocaine worth £100m from South America to the UK in boxes of bananas.
He is understood to have fled to Dubai before he was arrested on a flight back to Glasgow in December.
His operation was unravelled by cops through use of the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat to conduct his dealings, operating under the username “patrolstaff”. His offending came to light when the platform, which was “commonly used by those involved in organised crime”, was hacked by law enforcement agencies.
One exchange showed him arranging the time and place for the supply of 2kg of heroin, while on “numerous occasions” Jamieson used the platform to make arrangements for the collection of money. The court heard how Jamieson’s interlocutors on EncroChat included men who have since been convicted of drug offences and involvement in organised crime.
The exchanges show Jamieson had a “business relationship” with notorious Jamie Stevenson. Sentencing Jamieson, judge Lord Scott told him he had knowingly taken part in a “significant organised criminal operation for a period of 54 days”.
He went on: “Your role was a key operational role (and of) significant financial benefit to you.”
Jamieson, who attended the sentencing hearing by videolink from prison dressed in a blue sweater, showed no reaction as the punishment was handed down.
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