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LAST UPDATE | 5 Nov 2019
GARDAÍ SAY THE man who was shot dead in Bettystown, Co. Meath last night had been targeted last March and had been warned of a threat to his life.
The 39-year-old was shot multiple times when he arrived back at his home on Castlemartin Drive at about 11.40 pm last night.
Up to six shots were fired during the attack with what gardaí believe was an automatic pistol.
Three bullets struck other cars nearby and the victim’s wife and children were in the house at the time.
The victim was taken by ambulance to Our lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda but he was pronounced dead shortly before 1am this morning.
The shooting is understood to be linked to the ongoing gangland feud in Drogheda.
In a briefing this afternoon, Garda Superintendent Fergus Dwyer said the victim was attacked as he moved from his car to his house.
He just returned home to his house here and while he was getting out of his car and closing his gate we believe he was approached at that time by one or more individuals. In firing the shots at him, three cars were struck in the estate, one opposite, one next door and one in the driveway of the victim’s home.
Dwyer added that gardaí believe that a small van found burnt out on nearby Eastham Road was involved in the attack and have asked anyone who may have seen it in the hours before the attack to contact them.
Both the scene of the shooting and of the burnt out vehicle have been preserved pending the completion of examinations by garda crime scene examiners.
Gardaí have also confirmed that the victim was targeted previously and had been warned of a threat to his life.
Dwyer said that the area is the subject of regular patrols and that gardaí were present at the scene 30 minutes before the shooting.
“This man we believe was targeted before last March. We have active patrols in the area,” Dwyer told reporters this afternoon LMFM reports.
It’s part of an operational plan that we have. And in fact members were just here at the scene about 30 minutes beforehand as part of our operational plan here watching the homes of certain individuals who are of interest to us.
The Drogheda feud, which kicked off a year ago, has involved a number of violent attacks. Gardaí have been carrying out armed patrols in the area in order to address the conflict between the two gangs.
Sinn Féin TD Gerry Adams condemned the killing as “a disgraceful action”.
“It is the latest violence in a drugs war between criminal gangs that has shocked and outraged citizens in Louth. I would ask anyone with information to bring that forward to An Garda Síochána.”
Adams also urged the Justice Minister to review garda resourcing in the area to ensure they can tackle these gangs.
The Red Door Project, which helps with drug-related problems in the area, said the “senseless killing” underlined the need for more funding to fight addiction.
“As chair of the Red Door Project I would first of all like to express our sorrow that another young man’s family is now in mourning as a result of drug violence in the Drogheda area,” Alec McAllister said this afternoon.
Since the Red Door Project first started offering help to those suffering from addiction and their families in 2009, we have seen demand quadruple, but our funding has remained static.
McAllister added that drug debts are being traded like currency in the area.
“We are now regularly contacted by distraught families, who are being threatened as a result of drugs debts run up by their children,” he said.
“These drug debts have now become currency in Drogheda and are traded between gangs, who are using increasingly violent means to extract payment, all adding to the climate of fear in our communities.”
Investigating gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have information to contact the incident room at Ashbourne Garda Station on 01-801 0600, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
Gardaí are particularly anxious to hear from road users with camera footage who were in the area at the time of shooting.
With reporting by Michelle Hennessy and Rónán Duffy
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Could someone from the AAA please enlighten us as to where Socialism has ever worked?
@Fergus Sheahan: It worked for Chavez’s family and close friends. Is that the kind of answer you were looking for?
@Libertarian Ireland:
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others…
@Fergus Sheahan: you mean the AAA’s brand of socialism aka populist socialism
As aspects of socialism can work well together in balance with capitalism e.g. Social welfare system; Norwegian tax system etc
@Vic’s Burd: Ireland has a balance between socialism and capitalism.
@Fergus Sheahan: Vietnam’s the only country I know of.
@Avina Laaf:
Well, thats old news. Identity politics (the kind that hates on white men) will decide who gets what in the new order.
Its time for a stimulus for the helicopter industry,
Join us
Maduro and his predecessor Chavez are darlings of the Left, lionised by our own President. Since the election of Chavez, Venezuela has become a basket-case economy – and coincidentally Chavez’s daughter has become the wealthiest woman in the country (although she prefers to enjoy her ill-gotten gains in Switzerland, far from the squalor that her father created).
Chavez, Maduro and Socialism have destroyed Venezuela, just as Socialism had destroyed
Socialism always leads to poverty.
Yes the people of Norway and Sweden are so poor
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne:
Yes Sweden, such a harmonious society of late, probably the most refugee welcoming, Islam friendly society in Europe… That was recently stuck with Islamic terror… https://www.google.ie/amp/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN0SG0I220151022
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne:
Swedes forced go to Finland for medical care due to overcrowding… https://www.thelocal.se/20161229/swedes-forced-to-go-to-finland-to-give-birth-due-to-overcrowding?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne:
Norway?? Norway is a oil rich, stand alone nation, the country is currently being run by a centrist led political party, before that, it was a conservative led minority government.
@Brian Lenehan: That’s a totally false you’re making Venezuela sound like a modern European state pre Chavez. Inflation was double before was Chavez was elected and Venezuela had numerous severe banking crises only a few years before him. Poverty was far worse as was illiteracy. Economical troubles because of low revenue due to falling oil prices were around before him too.
It is largely because he never moved Venezuela off oil which is a stupid thing to do when you fund your policies with it. Would have been a warning sign to Scotland when it sought independence and made claims based on oil barrel prices which were several times higher than they are now.
Oh yeah, if you google ‘ Hugo Chavez daughter wealth’ you can see the people you got that information off. FoxNews, Breitbart, National Review, Dailymail, etc. are all the top searches
Maduro is quite sinister, however.
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne:
You cannot consider Norway and Sweden in same extreme framework as
Venezuela. Venezuela is based on populist socialism, that our looney lefties here preach, which has clearly destabilised the economy.
In this blog: http://blog.peerform.com/top-ten-most-socialist-countries-in-the-world/
Ireland is regarded, along with Norway and Sweden, as a socialist nation too. We have one of the best welfare systems in the world.
We could model the Norway anti-populist socialist model as the best in the world, but they have their oil to maintain this system.
@Lepanto: The topic of this conversation was socialism I thought?
@Vic’s Burd: I was commenting on Lepantos comment that “socialism always leads to poverty”
And by the way Venezuela has plenty of oil too, its just unlike Venezuela Norway doesn’t have the USA undermining its socialist stance.
@Lepanto: “Swedes forced go to Finland for medical care due to overcrowding…”
Shit happens Lepanto, under the Irish National treatment purchase fund , I was sent by the HSE to the UK for treatment…..what’s your point here?
@Jason Byrne: Let me school you. I’m Irish-Venezuelan. You’ve said that”Inflation was double before was Chavez was elected” This is total BS AAA crap.
Let me tell you in figures you can understand, which is the local currency Bolvar – USD exchange rates. The Bolivar had a very solid and stable exhange rate of Bs 4.30 per USD. This lasted for decades until Black Friday in 1983 when protectionist economic measures backfired fast and started inflation as we know it.
In 1984 it was Bs 13.55 per USD. in 1990 it was Bs 42.65 per USD. in 1999, the year before Chavez came to power was Bs 509 per USD. In 16 years the Bolivar went from Bs 4.30 to Bs 509.
Then in 2007 a new currency was introduced. The Bolivar Fuerte (Strong bolivar) which was the old currency divided by 1000. So in 2007 when the new Bolivar was introduced it was Bs 2150 per USD so it became VEF 2.15 per USD.
Now in 2017, there is no real way to buy currency, the official exchange rate is VEF 9.90 per USD, but its a Micky mouse rate, only a very small numbers of first necessity companies gets access to some of this rate. the day to dasy business and prices are based in the open parallel market which is VEF 4400 per USD. YES, Four Thousand Four Hundred and Forty VEF to $1. which means Bs 4400000 of the old currency. (Over for Millions in case you think I’ve made a typo).
So compare from 4.30 to 509 in 16 years Pre-Chavez and from 509 to 4400000 17 years after. You do the maths.
@Ibhar Mac Suibhne: what always lead’s to poverty is greed, corruption, lies and no accountability which happens to govts left and right depending on the type of individuals involved. Our own government is a good example of this.
@Brian Lenehan:
Utopia is not for this world. Dont believe anyone who tells you it is.
Especially worth reflecting on at Easter time. Che, Chavez, nor Lenin did not die for your sins.
Where’s Waddler
@Chef Harold:
He’ll be along shortly to tell us that the problem isn’t too much socialism, it’s not enough socialism, and that the capitalist elites are somehow preventing Maduro from printing more money to solve all the problems. Or something.
I think he got another account blocked again. Don’t you need a phone number to register. Guess he ran out of phones
Would be interesting to see Boyd Barrett et al attend.
Although it is true that Venezuela is closer to achieving equality than Ireland is, in that everyone is equally poor, starving and at risk of violence.
Yea like Capitalism has really done wonders for the world. I’m sure greed, corruption, outside influences and poor regulation of power, which seem to feature in all political systems, have all contributed to the dreadful goings on in Venezuela, but I do prefer the ideologies of Socialism to Capitalism.
@Aogan Keyes: you can’t eat ideology, Socialism sounds good but it doesn’t work and it never has, human natural works against it, Paul Murphy should pay Caracas a visit
@Aogan Keyes: All isms are bad, there is no system that looks after the people properly, yet we have a nightmare government making rich foreigners even richer and I bet there will be no support marches in Venezuela or any other countries where people want to get themselves hear heard. We really need to worry about the growing problems we have here already. Illegal migrants are sucking this country dry, now if we wealthy enough to provide shelter and food but we were bled by The EU over several years, listened to politicians making cut and cut but people still came here with no welfare systems to claim what they felt entitled to. Migrants are find if they want to contribute but coming here for the freebies is disgraceful but nobody is stopping it. I am not picking on Venezuelan living here but whatever happened EU citizens being granted free movement or was that a joke?
@Aogan Keyes:
I love it, so it’s capitalism’s fault from other countries which is the problem and not socialism itself. You should hook up with Wally to discuss printing money as apparently with Socialism you can simply print as much as you want with no negative impact
@Aogan Keyes:
Capitalism has pulled more people out of poverty than any other economic system, it’s not perfect, none are, but Socialists/Communists think Socialism IS the perfect system.
@Fergus Sheahan: there are different forms of socialism, the populist-socialism that Paul Murphy and his party favours was the same model that Venezuela used.
Ireland is regarded as a socialist nation more than capitalist; with our welfare system and strong constitutional led policies. As is Norway, Finland, Netherlands etc. Like us they are all non-populist socialism with an element of capitalism thrown in.
There has to be a balance.
@Vic’s Burd: everything in moderation works, Paul Murphy is a clown we can all agree on that
@Aogan Keyes: You sir, are overfed on clean capitalist food. I think a spell in the GULAG would increase your love for the state and its forcible redistribution of others property. You can fill your cup will socialist ideology as you labour in the Uranium mines of Siberia.
@Vic’s Burd:
None of those countries are socialist. They allow for the private ownership of capital. They are capitalist, with strong welfare programmes.
And the end game of welfare states is upon us, the generation that is meant to pay for all these benefits are either not born, or languishing in low wage hell.
You always run out of other peoples money in the end.
I’ll put it on my bucket list
@Fergus Sheahan:
Don’t encourage murphy to go globe trotting on the taxpayers expense. He’ll be off like a shot on “fact finding” visits. Sure he’s already been to Egypt to support his Muslim brotherhood detainees on our expense.
This has to be one of most undocumented crisies in the world, children are dying because that socialist dimwitted bus driver maduro is single handidly(along with his cronies) destroying a country that was the richest in South America in 2001 along with his deceased predecessor Chavez. Socialism never works as for that crowd AAA in Ireland they make me physically sick with their utter nonsense.A crying shame considering it has the most oil reserves per capita in the world.
With regards to the passenger on United Airline being physically pulled off the plane and now has a broken nose and has lost some teeth, the slogan for United Airlines was “The Friendly Airline” Really !!! Companies have lost respect for their customers, The only thing that counts is to post a profit every quarter.
Why not protest about the scandal of our homeless people instead? Get our own house in order first and keep the pressure on the FG traitors.
No one representative from Ireland attended today, not on…no AAA, no SF, no FF, no FG and no IDP. Anyone know what any of our political parties stance is on the situation in Venezuela is? #NoMasDictadura
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