Gardaí in hunt for Kinahan gang member after hit foiled in capital
A GARDA manhunt has been launched for a dangerous Kinahan cartel member, who is wanted in relation to an elaborate murder plot that was foiled in the capital.
On Monday night, heavily armed detectives from the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) intercepted a car in the north inner city and seized a loaded Beretta pistol fitted with a silencer.
Four well-known criminals were arrested for conspiring to murder violent drug dealer Gary Hanley (38), who has close links to the Hutch organised crime gang.
The Irish Independent can reveal that:
■ Gardaí are still attempting to track down a 33-year-old cartel member, who they suspect played a prominent role in orchestrating the murder plot.
■ The Blackrock home of a 39-year-old cartel associate, who is suspected of involvement in the conspiracy but hasn’t been arrested, was searched.
■ A number of the Hutch mob’s high-level members made contact with the intended target yesterday and have threatened to strike back against the cartel.
■ Extra security was yesterday put in place at the garda stations where the arrested men were being questioned over fears that Hutch associates would attempt an attack.
■ The surveillance operation that led to the arrests had been ongoing for several months and involved the monitoring of cars and houses by specialist detectives.
As part of Monday night’s massive bust, 10 properties were searched and seven vehicles were also seized to be forensically examined.
Gardaí were last night attempting to track down the well-known member of the Kinahan cartel, who is suspected of playing a prominent role in the murder plot.
This 33-year-old criminal has been involved with organised crime groups since his teens and is suspected of carrying out a number of attacks for the cartel.
It has also emerged that a 39-year-old man, who lives in the leafy Blackrock area, is suspected of being involved in the murder plot. He has been linked to the Kinahan cartel for a number of years and his home was searched as part of the probe into Monday night’s foiled murder.
Last night, detectives were continuing to question the four well-known Dublin criminals for allegedly conspiring to murder Hutch gang associate Hanley (28).
Those detained include a volatile 38-year-old hitman for hire, who was only recently released from prison.