‘Kinahan associate’ arrested in drugs raid

A SUSPECTED drug dealer linked to the Kinahan cartel has been released without charge following a major operation in the capital.

The operation, led by the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, got underway at around 7am yesterday.

More than 50 gardaí from local and specialist armed units searched seven homes in Dublin’s north and south inner city.

They discovered financial documentation for international bank transfers, encrypted phones costing €1,500 each and a quantity of heroin.

The drugs were found in the home of a north inner city dealer, bagged for sale. Gardaí also found a customer tick list.

The 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drugs trafficking and was questioned at the Bridewell Garda Station. A file will be prepared for the DPP. Gardaí say the operation is focused on the activities of Kinahan crime gang members and associates in Dublin, on identifying its network and dismantling its structure.

The assistant commissioner in charge of Special Crime Operations, John O’Driscoll, said gardaí are focused on the gangs involved in a wide range of crime, including drug dealing and attempted murder.

In total, 18 people have been shot dead in the Hutch-Kinahan feud. The last person to lose their life was Jason ‘Buda’ Molyneux, shot dead nine months ago.

The feud began when Gary Hutch, a nephew of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, was killed in September 2015 in Spain in an attack ordered by the Kinahan drug cartel.

This murder sparked the bloody gang war which has resulted in a spate of retaliation killings by the Kinahan cartel, who have been responsible for the majority of the murders.