Nine held in police raids after brutal gangland attacks

POLICE have made a series of raids across the west of Scotland following separate attacks on twin brothers using a drill and a chisel.

In a secret operation - codenamed Zumba - almost 40 officers, some dressed in riot gear, hit two addresses on Thursday resulting in the arrest of a 19-year-old man.

As part of a response to the attacks, another six raids took place yesterday in the north of Glasgow and in Airdrie relating to serious organised crime, in which officers detained eight people and seized drugs and weapons. It is understood an amount of counterfeit currency was also seized along with equipment used to make it.

The raids followed brutal attacks on 26-year-old brothers James and Bryan Hanlon during the past week.

Both men are known to be associated of Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, who was shot dead in supermarket car park earlier this year in a suspected gangland attack.

Bryan Hanlon suffered serious injuries to his genitals during an attack on Sunday night in Maryhill Road when he was assaulted with weapons which included a chisel.

The incident came just days after James Hanlon suffered serious head injuries when he was attacked with a power drill during an assault by a group of men on Cumbernauld Road, Stepps, on 22 August. A 19-year-old was arrested in relation to this attack and is expected to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Monday.

It is understood that two firearms and some ammunition were recovered from a property in nearby Stepps. As part of the on-going investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attempted murder on James Hanlon, police said they will be will be returning to the scene on Sunday night between 11pm and midnight to interview motorists about the incident.

They are looking for information on a Silver BMW 5 Series and a black or dark coloured Range Rover both of which were seen driving at high speed on Maryhill Road around the time of the attack.

The police also confirmed yesterday that they had carried out more raids which "targeted individuals either responsible for violent acts or involved in serious and organised crime".

Superintendent Val Thomson, from Strathclyde Police, said yesterday: "The specific actions that we have taken today have targeted individuals either responsible for violent acts or involved in serious and organised crime.

"We have visited a number of addresses and detained eight people. In addition we have seized a quantity of drugs and a crossbow.During the operation we visited an address in Caldercruix, Airdrie but the man we were looking for left the house shortly before we arrived.

"Reducing violence and tackling serious and organised crime are priorities for us because they have a direct impact on the quality of life in our communities. Unfortunately violence continues to happen so we will continue with our efforts to eradicate it."

The raids were expected to go on into the weekend.