Gardaí warned not to approach man suspected of carrying out border rampage

Officers believe he is armed and taking a large amount of cocaine

Gardaí are on alert for an armed criminal who was involved in a violent rampage near the Border.

Uniformed gardaí have been warned not to approach the 36-year-old from Co Louth. The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) has been tasked with tracking him down.

The suspect is based at a location near the Border and is believed to be dangerous after becoming involved in a row with former associates.

He has links to the criminal gang who shot and killed Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe. However, he had no involvement in the garda’s murder in January 2013.

Gardaí are investigating if he is linked to an arson incident in the Dundalk area of Co Louth several days ago.

The man, who was released from prison last November, led PSNI officers on a high-speed chase in Co Armagh on April 21 and evaded them by escaping across the Border.

A source said: “Those officers deployed a stinger device on the vehicle he was travelling in. He just drove over it and escaped across the Border into the Republic on the rims of his burst tyres.”

Gardaí have been warned not to approach him unless they are armed. They believe he is armed with at least one gun and is consuming a large amount of cocaine.

“Unarmed gardaí have been told to go nowhere near this individual – his behaviour is reckless and out of all control,” a source said.

“Such is the threat level from him that it has been decided that only the ERU, who have the necessary skill sets, can tackle him.”

The ERU provides the highest tier of firearms response in Irish law enforcement. It specialises in weapons tactics, counter-terrorism, execution of high-risk missions, crisis negotiation, hostage rescue and close protection, among other roles.

The man is suspected of stealing a number of cars in Co Louth.

He is also suspected of arson attacks in Co Monaghan, including in the Carrickmacross and Cullaville areas on April 19, linked to the feud he is involved in.

The criminal is also believed to be connected to two arson incidents in Co Monaghan two days later.

“This is about a massive disagreement among cross-border organised gangs involved in smuggling, ATM raids and armed robberies,” the source said.

The suspect was released from Mountjoy Prison last November where he served a sentence for threats to kill.

At his sentencing hearing before Dundalk Circuit Court in December, 2021, evidence was given that he threatened to kill two gardaí and two other people before being involved in a series of incidents in Louth.

One of the officers said in a victim statement she feared that her colleague and herself would be the next two members of the Dundalk garda district “to fall” – believed to be a reference to murdered Det Gda Donohoe.

The court hearing in 2021 heard evidence of the suspect firing a shotgun and being armed with a samurai sword and a knife, as well as driving dangerously at speeds of over 180kmh in a Toyota Avensis before his arrest.