The ice cream wars were turf wars in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1980s between rival criminal organisations selling drugs[1][2] and stolen goods[1] from ice cream vans. Van operators were involved in frequent violence and intimidation tactics, the most notable example of which involved a driver and his family who were killed in an arson attack that resulted in a twenty-year court battle. The conflicts generated widespread public outrage, and earned the Strathclyde Police the nickname of "Serious Chimes Squad" (a pun on Serious Crime Squad) for its perceived failure to address them.[1][3][4]
- ^ a b c McDougall, Dan; Robertson, John (18 March 2004). ""Ice-cream wars" verdicts quashed as justice system faulted". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
The events [began] as rival gangs fought for the control of lucrative ice-cream van runs used as a front for distributing stolen goods and heroin ... Andrew 'Fat Boy' Doyle ... refused to be intimidated into distributing drugs on his route – something which had already earned him a punishment shooting from an unknown assailant.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Taylor, Alan (30 September 2001). "A hard man who's still fighting". The Sunday Herald. Archived from the original on 2 January 2002 – via Innocent.org.
- ^ ""Ice-cream wars" verdicts quashed as justice system faulted". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 21 December 2004. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
The events [began] as rival gangs fought for the control of lucrative ice-cream van runs used as a front for distributing stolen goods and heroin ...