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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Rory Cassidy & Iona Young

Inside the luxury Brazilian flat Scots crime fugitive brothers called home

Two crime fugitive brothers believed to have been murdered in Brazil were living in a £320,000 ­apartment with a beach view before they vanished.

James and Barry Gillespie fled to South America amid claims they ran a multi-million ­pound ­ organised crime empire that flooded Scotland with drugs and guns.

The alleged kingpins posed as wealthy tourists living in an ­apartment complex overlooking idyllic Praia do Meireles beach
in Fortaleza.

James, 48, and Barry, 44, have been hiding from law ­enforcement for several years.

Police Scotland told members of their family they believe they "may have come to harm" following a reported fall-out with gangsters in the coastal city.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Council tells popular Greek café they do not have permission to trade

Sources say the pair lived in a four-bedroom property which had five bathrooms, a barbecue, a balcony and a swimming pool reports the Daily Record.

A property in the same block – four times the size of the average flat in Glasgow – was recently listed at offers over £321,000.

It is described as "a high standard apartment in an ­excellent location with a beautiful view of the sea".

The listing boasts of facilities which include a service area, intercom, lift and air conditioning.

A source in Brazil said: "It's a very luxurious place to stay.

"The buildings are nice, their ­apartment was one of the nicest in the building, and the area is beautiful.

"They could blend in easily.

"There is a lot of hustle and bustle around the area and that would have afforded them anonymity, as many people come and go.

"They were able to live a life of luxury for months, basically ­undetected, despite being two of the most wanted men on Earth.

"These apartments are not cheap.

"And at one of the nicest in the building, theirs would have cost more than the one for sale.

"The fact they were able to get such an apartment while on the run shows how high up they were."

The Gillespies, who were also linked to an encrypted mobile phone company, used their ­expertise to remain in contact with friends and family completely undetected.

That ceased last year and they vanished, leaving sources in Brazil and Scotland saying they'd been killed by local gang chiefs.

The pair are wanted over a worldwide probe into money laundering, drug smuggling and weapons trafficking.

Crimestoppers said they are wanted for "directing serious and organised crime throughout the UK and Europe".

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