Fears fugitive Brit brothers have been kidnapped and executed in Brazil
There are growing fears fugitive British brothers have been
kidnapped and executed in Brazil.
James, 48, and Barry Gillespie, 44 – dubbed the Escobar
Brothers in Brazil – told the alleged kingpins’ relatives that they “may have
come to harm” while on the run in South America.
They accused of running a multi-million organised crime
empire have been kidnapped and killed by a gang in Brazil, detectives fear.
It comes as sources say the siblings had a fall-out with
gangsters in the crime-ridden city of Fortaleza over protection money.
The pair are linked to a huge drugs and ammunition racket
that led Scotland to be flooded with cocaine, and a string of street shootings,
reports the Daily Record.
Insiders say the pair asked gang leaders to help them stay
one step ahead of the authorities after police issued a public appeal for
information about their whereabouts.
However it has been claimed that the relationship went sour
when local crime chiefs started demanding even more money.
A source said: “They turned to a group for help and ended up
being extorted.
“They were paying through the nose for protection. The guys
wanted too much money.
“People have been told that one of the brothers was held
hostage while the other was told to get money.
“No one has heard anything from either of them for months,
not even their closest friends and family.
“They used to keep in touch with a few of their trusted pals
who did some running about for them.
"Everyone thinks they’re dead.”
Police Scotland confirmed they have told Gillespie family
members that detectives have obtained intelligence about the brothers’ safety.
However they have still to trace the pair and continue to ask the public for
help.
A spokesman said: “Police Scotland officers have been in
contact with the families of James and Barry Gillespie after enquiries have led
them to believe that both men may have come to harm.
“However, extensive enquiries to trace both men are
continuing and anyone with information about their current whereabouts should
contact Police Scotland.”
The Gillespies, of Rutherglen, near Glasgow, have been
accused of serious organised crime offences and top Scotland’s most wanted
list.
They are being hunted as part of a worldwide probe into
weapons smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering.
The Crimestoppers website says both men are wanted for
“directing serious and organised crime throughout the UK and Europe”.
The pair – nicknamed “The Brothers” in Scotland’s underworld
– are claimed to have links to a gang that was jailed for a total of 87 years
in 2018. The nine-strong mob was locked-up over drugs, firearms, violence and
dirty money.
Victim Robert Allan was assaulted after he could not pay a
£30,000 drug debt. He was whipped with a thick chain, hit with a metal bar and
battered with a 14lb sledgehammer. He was then ordered to strip and sprayed
with bleach.
Allan was shot in both knees and dumped at a roundabout in
East Kilbride. He was given a new identity and placed on a witness protection
programme after agreeing to give evidence against his attackers.
European Arrest Warrants were issued for the Gillespies’
arrests in 2019. In 2009, the pair were linked to the biggest cocaine haul ever
seized by police in France.
Customs officers discovered a consignment of the Class A
drug worth £31million in the back of a truck registered to a Scottish haulage
firm.
They found the stash hidden in a lorry in Montpellier. The
vehicle also contained cash registers and coffee.
The Gillespies, who describe themselves as property
developers, have used aliases to avoid detection, police have said.
James has used the name Stephen Taylor and Barry has
pretended to be Eamon Fitzpatrick.
The brothers spent time living in Portugal’s Algarve and
Dubai before moving to Brazil.
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