TWO CONVICTED CRIMINALS arrested by gardaí in Wexford on Wednesday night were on the way to murder a close relative of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, gardaí believe.
Two men were arrested after guns and ammunition were seized in the Millands area of Gorey – around 10 kilometres from where the intended target lives. Three cars, which gardaí believe were to be used in the crime, were also seized by officers. Loaded firearms were also confiscated.
The arrested men are well-known criminals – one is from the Sheriff Street area of Dublin 1 while the other man in is from the Docklands.
The intended Hutch target has already survived one attempt on his life – he was believed to be the intended target when innocent man Trevor O’Neill was shot dead in Majorca, Spain, in 2016. The Dublin City Council worker was murdered after being confused for the Hutch family member.
Yesterday’s arrests are yet more proof that gardaí have gathered significant intelligence against members of the Kinahan organised crime cartel. Gardaí also allege that they stopped a murder last week when they arrested three men who allegedly had loaded firearms in their possession.
Wexford and areas of south Wicklow are home to a number of significant drug dealers who do business with the Kinahan cartel. One avenue of investigation for gardaí is if these dealers were supplying information to the men in the car.
One well-informed source told TheJournal.ie that the two arrested men are so-called guns-for-hire. While they are not thought to have committed any of the Kinahan/Hutch feud’s 14 murders to date, they are considered as mercenaries and are usually persons of interest in armed robberies in certain pockets of the city.
The feud itself has, for the most part, stuck to the Greater Dublin Region. The Irish murder farthest from the capital was that of Noel Duggan – a close friend of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch – who was shot dead in Ratoath, Meath, in March 2016.
Assistant Garda Commissioner John O’ Driscoll, who is responsible for Special Crime Operations (SCO) which were used in the Wexford arrests, spoke of what officers are doing to clamp down on organised crime across the country.
He said: “We stated on numerous occasions that our efforts at tackling organised crime, particularly where it gives rise to threat to life, is unrelenting. Those within the world of organised crime who display a total disregard for human life remain within our focus and we are determined to cause them to be arrested, charged and where the courts determine there is sufficient evidence, convicted and incarcerated within our prisons.”
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