The Glasgow hardman vanished after the shotgun murder of pub worker Thomas Cameron in 2007.
Scotland’s most wanted man Derek “Deco” Ferguson had his left ear bitten off in a savage street brawl.
The 5’3ft hardman lost the tip of his ear during a violent fight years before the notorious Auchinairn Tavern murder that sent him on the run.
Original police mugshots show the gruesome injury – which became a distinctive feature used during public appeals to track him down.
Underworld sources claim his torn lug also became part of Ferguson’s feared reputation as he rose through the city’s gangland ranks.
He fled Scotland after barman Tam Cameron, 49, was shot dead outside the Auchinairn Tarvern, in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, in 2007. Fellow suspect Billy Bates was found dead in the Clyde weeks after the murder.
Detectives believe Cameron was lured into the tavern car park before being executed at point-blank range following a minor dispute linked to organised crime figures.
Before police could arrest him, Ferguson fled Scotland — with reports claiming he escaped hidden in the boot of a car before surfacing among expat gangsters on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
An international warrant is in place for Ferguson’s arrest and he remains high on the UK and Spain’s Most Wanted list.
It’s been long believed by police and underworld figures that the bald Scot may have drastically altered his appearance to stay hidden. Investigators believe he may have undergone hair transplants, facial surgery and cosmetic procedures to repair the mutilated ear that once made him instantly recognisable.
E-fits released by in recent years along with a £10,000 rewards show dramatically different versions of the ageing fugitive — including images with wigs, facial hair and a reconstructed ear. Officers also believe he may have taken elocution lessons and adopted a fake Irish accent to disguise his Glasgow roots.
Over the years, investigators have tracked sightings of Ferguson across Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Turkey and the Netherlands as he allegedly hid under false identities while working for the Kinahan cartel.
The Record first linked the Possil-born gangster to the payroll of Irish cocaine super-cartel boss Christy Kinahan in 2015, with Ferguson believed to have operated as an enforcer in Marbella and Calahonda.
The Dublin born mafia boss, 69, started the lucrative global crime empire built on drugs, arms smuggling and money laundering and is said to be the richest criminal in Irish history.
Last month, his son Daniel Kinahan, who had become the leader of the crime group was arrested in the United Arab Emirates.
Despite high-profile appeals – including Crimestoppers’ Operation Captura – Ferguson, now 62, remains at large.
Yesterday the National Crime Agency warned expats living in Spain that Ferguson could be living amongst them in plain sight.
Spanish police warned the ex-pat community: “These are not the people you want in your neighbourhood.”
He was named among the UK’s 12 most most wanted fugitives with links to Spain.
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