GARDAÍ ARE STILL unsure if a suspected Kinahan hitman accidentally killed himself or if he was targeted by the cartel.
Glen Clarke was discovered in a car in the Leixlip area of Kildare on 2 December. It was thought at the time that he was on the way to carry out the murder of Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan, who was eventually shot just days before Christmas in the Clondalkin area of west Dublin.
However, it has now emerged that a file is being prepared for the DPP in relation to his case. Early indications were that Clarke had died after the gun he was preparing to use went off in his hand. There are also theories that the Kinahan cartel killed him because he had, on two occasions, shot the wrong person.
Gardaí were investigating Clarke over the murders of innocent men Martin O’Rourke, who was shot dead on Sheriff Street last year, and Trevor O’Neill, another innocent man shot dead in Spain.
Clarke’s family has always maintained that he was not a gunman for hire for the cartel.
His body was discovered in a car fitted with fake number plates. He was wearing a white boiler suit at the time and was in possession of a handgun.
Cartel
Clarke’s family has always maintained that he was murdered.
Gardaí have moved additional resources into dedicated units to tackle the ongoing gangland feud in Dublin. They believe they have stopped at least 10 murders in the last 12 months as intelligence details and some high-profile arrests have led to an increase in the number of drug and gun seizures.
Earlier this year, gardaí raided a premises in west Dublin where they seized nine revolvers, four semi-automatic pistols, a submachine gun and an assault rifle. Nearly 1,500 rounds of ammunition was also discovered. In follow-up searches, another €300k in cash was found. Much of the cash was stuffed in bags and hidden in innocent people’s homes.
Various garda investigations and continuous work by elite and uniformed officers have severely restricted how the cartel can operate. Serious charges now face a number of people suspected of being members of the gang.
There are also rumours that there is a senior member of the cartel who has been giving information to gardaí. In one case, one of them was giving information to officers over the murder of Gary Hutch, who was killed in the south of Spain as members of the cartel thought he was an informer.
Not only has there been a high number of seizures in Dublin and abroad, the increased surveillance is making it extremely difficult for the cartel to conduct business in the way it used to.
There are currently fears that the Hutch faction is preparing another high-profile attack similar to the Regency Hotel last year.
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