Thug is the first mobster to be convicted in turf wars

A GANGSTER caught searching for a hidden gun in Edinburgh has become the first hood to be convicted in Scotland's turf wars.

- BY JAMES MULHOLLAND

Liam McDermid, 25, used a metal detector to try to find the firearm stashed in undergrowth on Edinburgh's Roseburn Path on June 5.

The thug has been warned he is facing “substantial” jail time after admitting to working with unknown associates to locate the Glock pistol during a gang war sparked by a fallout over a £500,000 drug deal.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard the weapon — and multiple rounds of lethal 9mm ammunition - were discovered by police after McDermid was watched by a surveillance team when he was seen in shrubbery beside the path. McDermid, of Edinburgh, was later arrested.

The hood, who has 19 previous convictions, was prosecuted as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Portaledge - a taskforce set up this year to tackle gangland activity linked to a feud between cocaine kinpgpin Mark Richardson and mobster Ross McGill - after drugs were paid for with fake cash.

The notorious Glasgow Lyons and Daniel families have also been caught up in a series of violent attacks.