Gardaí must pressurise Kinahan associates, says former top officer

A retired senior garda who was a key player in the fight against gangland criminals in Limerick has said gardaí must target associates of the Kinahan gang as part of the wider gang feud between the Kinahan and Hutch factions.

Det Supt Jim Browne was part of a dedicated police force in Limerick that oversaw the demise of the Dundon-McCarthy criminal network and the Keane-Collopy gang.

Det Supt Browne who retired last year after 40 years in the force told RTÉ Six One news that gardaí must pressure associates of the Kinahan gang for information to combat gangland crime.

Gareth Hutch, a taxi-driver and father of one, was shot a number of times on Tuesday morning close to his flat at Avondale House on North Cumberland Street in Dublin 1.

He is the third member of the extended Hutch family to lose his life to the Dublin gangland feud and the seventh in total.

Gareth Hutch was a cousin of Gary Hutch (34), whose murder in Spain last September at the hands of his former associates in the drugs gang led by Christy Kinahan, began the feud which has now claimed seven lives.

Vengeance

The first man shot dead in Ireland was Kinahan gang member David Byrne (33) in the Regency Hotel in February.

His associates have now avenged his death with five murders in the intervening 3½ months. Of the seven murders to date in the feud, Kinahan’s gang has been responsible for six.

“In 2010 we managed to turn that around and many of the people that were involved with the gangs in Limerick gave evidence against their former commanders or leaders and that led to serious convictions,” he said.

Det Browne said while Limerick is different to Dublin as there are two Garda districts compared to several in Dublin, similar tactics can be deployed in the fight against gangland crime.

“We used a tactic in Limerick that was used against the IRA years ago and that was – in all cases we went to the opposition of the feuding factions involved in shootings and we spoke and interviewed them almost immediately. It led to a very successful outcome,” he said.

“All the people that are linked to the Kinahan cartel at the moment – the most aggressive and hostile gang; everyone associated with that gang should be targeted and spoken to and debriefed to see if they will co-operate. Pressure should be put on them to see if they will co-operate with the gardaí and pressure should be put on them in relation to their criminal assets bureau and their social welfare,” he said.