A hitman was paid £10,000 to take out ex-boxer Bradley Welsh, underworld sources have revealed.
They told the Record the shooter was offered cash by gang bosses to kill the T2 Trainspotting actor.
It has also been claimed that £50,000 has been made available to anyone who carries out the execution of coke baron Mark Richardson.
A killer walked up to Welsh, 48, outside his home in Edinburgh’s Chester Street last Wednesday night and shot him in the head at point-blank range.
The assassin was dressed as a jogger. He pulled a shotgun-type weapon from underneath his clothing and gunned dad-of-one Welsh down.
Police and crime sources believe the murder is connected to his association with Richardson, 32, who is in prison serving a sentence of eight years and nine months for his role in an organised crime gang which flooded Scotland with guns and drugs.
Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh targeted by 'tanned' assassin wearing baseball hat
A source said: “The figures doing the rounds are £10k for Welsh and £50k for anyone who takes out Richardson. Murder is cheap. Some people would do it for less.”
Welsh, who in recent years was a charity worker, was warned by police weeks ago that his life was in danger.
He is believed to have been killed as a warning to Richardson, who has been embroiled in an ongoing feud with another crime gang, which we cannot name for legal reasons.
Trainspotting star Bradley Welsh given chilling death warning by cops as gangland links revealed
The hitman has been described as being aged between 20 and 30. He is around 6ft tall, of slim build and has a tanned complexion. He was casually dressed and wore a baseball cap.
Police believe friends and associates of Richardson are being picked off by rival gangs. Two weeks ago, Welsh said his past “is always with him”.
Floral tributes left in his memory have been moved away from the street where he was shot dead.
Bouquets of flowers, Hibs and Hearts scarves, and boxing gloves were left on Chester Street but have been taken to nearby Drumsheugh Gardens.
