MARK Richardson has been abandoned by a powerful, long-standing ally amid an all-out war on the isolated cocaine kingpin, sources have claimed.
Martyn Fitzsimmons has turned his back on the under-siege mob boss, insiders say, as underworld rivals at home and abroad plot his demise over a fake notes con.
Fitzsimmons, 44, is said to be top dog at Low Moss prison where Richardson, 37, is holed up over security fears amid claims he’s a marked man.
The duo used to be close when they were at large as part of a so-called supergang linked to Scotland’s biggest crime syndicate.
But sources say fearsome hood ‘Fitzy’ no longer has Richardson’s back as enemies circle amid an ongoing turf war in Edinburgh.
An insider said: “Richardson is an increasingly isolated figure.
“There was a time when he could rely on Fitzy for back up – but that’s gone now.
“Fitzy is a terrifying guy who you would love as an ally but fear as an enemy.
“It’s that reputation that’s made him a powerful guy within Scotland’s organised crime circles.”
We told how Richardson was moved from Glenochil earlier this month amid claims he was being targeted by rivals over a drug deal gone wrong.
It’s claimed a fugitive Union Bears ultra based in Dubai was ripped off by Richardson cronies who handed over fake notes as part of a £500k cocaine deal.
Since then Scotland’s capital city has been in the grip of a gang war with homes, business and associates of Richardson left at the mercy of marauding hoods.
It’s a dramatic shift in fortunes for Richardson who was once thriving at the top table of Scotland’s criminal networks – in cahoots with Fitzsimmons and other top tier players.
The duo were caged together in 2018 along with seven others involved in a gang once headed up by missing crime kingpin brothers James and Barry Gillespie.
Richardson was sentenced to more than ten years for a high-speed car chase and having a pistol as he played his part in Scotland’s “most sophisticated” crime network.
It was his second significant stretch after he was sentenced to ten years in 2010 over a £2million cocaine and heroin haul.
Former soldier Fitzsimmons landed a ten and a half years for his role in a drugs supergang.
The thug, of Glasgow, was nailed with a gun and £36,000 of dirty cash.
He was previously jailed for 12 years in England for procuring explosives, weapons and ammo.
But like many other top dog hoods Fitzy has managed to maintain his fearsome reputation behind bars with jail insiders claiming he “runs the halls”.
A source said last night: “In the past Richardson would have been happy to go to the same jail as Fitzy but not any more.
“It seems like everyone has turned against him – including Fitzsimmons.”
We told how a fugitive Rangers ultra is part of the Dubai-based gang waging war on Richardson.
The ex-Union Bears member is said to be the hood ripped off in a £500,000 coke deal that led to a wave of attacks in the Edinburgh area.
Sources claim the dealer, 31, who can’t be named for legal reasons, fled Scotland in 2022 after he was charged with serious offences.
An insider said: “This guy is a new name in the underworld. He rose quickly and is the driving force behind this escalating violence.”
It sparked firebombings and gun attacks plus a plot to assassinate the drugs kingpin in Low Moss nick, near Glasgow.
A senior Police Scotland cop said: “We are taking strong action to disrupt this criminal activity.”