GUNS, DRUGS & CASH SEIZED IN RAIDS
Gardai disrupt top organised crime mobsters ‘The Family’
GARDAI have dealt a hammer blow to crime gangs here after they seized 10 guns and almost €5million worth of drugs.
And sources have told us that officers are probing the theory that eight of the firearms, including a RAK machine pistol, were connected to the notorious Dubliners known as The Family.
That gang is based in the Clondalkin area and have replaced the Kinahan cartel as the most active organised crime group in Ireland.
It makes at least €10million a month from supplying cocaine, heroin and cannabis all over the city.
Investigators believe it played a role in the gun killing of rival Gary “The Canary” Carney, shot in the car park of a South Dublin hotel in June 2022.
Carey, 40, was targeted as he came out of the Hilton Hotel in Kilmainham’s gym – and lived for six weeks, before he succumbed to his wounds.
Sources say gardai believe Carey, who had survived two previous hits, was shot because he was trying to muscle in on operations run by The Family and associates. Officers have been targeting them for years and they are now the focus of much of a week-long operation. Last Friday, gardai in Clondalkin seized a PM-63C RAK Semi-automatic Machine Pistol, and nine 9mm Rounds of ammunition for it when they searched a house in the area.
One man was arrested, but later released without charge.
Then on Wednesday, gardai seized seven pistols, ammunition, cannabis and cocaine worth €200,000 as well as €100,000 in cash.
The seizures were made when four houses in Clondalkin were searched. Gardai also froze €67,000 in a bank account – and seized tracking devices and mobile phones.
There were no arrests.
Last Saturday, the day after the first Clondalkin seizure, gardai seized two handguns that had been buried in a park in Ballyfermot in south-west Dublin. There were no arrests.
On Tuesday, the anti-gangland Dublin Crime Response Team seized €80,000 of cannabis in Fortunestown, near Tallaght. One man has been arrested and charged.
On Wednesday, the same team seized €200,000 worth of cannabis when it stopped a car in Dublin 7. A follow-up search in Finglas, North Dublin yielded more cannabis worth €300,000.
And a few hours later, another search, this time in Dublin 12, recovered cannabis and cocaine worth €3million. Three suspects arrested were still being quizzed last night.
Also on Wednesday, Revenue customs officials seized 55kgs of herbal cannabis at Dublin Port – worth some €1.1million. One man was arrested.
Garda Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, who is in charge of policing Dublin, said she had no doubt the firearms seizure had saved lives.
She added: “I wish to acknowledge the continuous efforts of our members working across the city in tackling serious criminality and those that cause the most harm to communities.
“Removing 10 lethal firearms from circulation will no doubt save many lives and contribute to our efforts to keep communities safe.”