Gardaí trawl victim’s background for clues to killing

Detectives investigating the murder of a man at a cash-for-clothes business on the outskirts of Dublin are trawling through his extensive criminal past for clues.

Father-of-one Gintaris Zelvys (43), was gunned down in front of his wife at the Greenogue Industrial Estate, near Rathcoole, in the west of the city.

At the time of the shooting, around 9.30am yesterday, he was opening up a clothes recycling business, Progressive Recycling, at a unit on Grant’s Crescent.

It is understood he had a strong interest in the company.

A silver Audi A3, with a 05-TN registration plate, pulled up and one of a number of men inside the five-door hatchback opened fire.

Zelvys was hit a number of times in the body and was taken to Tallaght Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The car was later found at the Aylmer housing estate in nearby Newcastle.

A postmortem is expected to confirm the extent of his injuries and the type of weapon used.

Zelvys had only been released from a lengthy jail sentence at Castlerea Prison in February this year.

Criminal record

Investigators are looking at his "extensive" criminal record - both in Ireland and his native Lithuania - for clues to enemies he would have picked up along the way.

A Garda source said it is not yet known whether the shooting is directly connected to the lucrative cash-for-clothes trade or other activities he was involved in.

“He was steeped in criminality, both here and in Lithuania,” said the source.

“There is no definitive line of inquiry yet, everything is on the table.”

With recent addresses in Rathcoole and Celbridge, Co Kildare, Zelvys had a string of convictions for rape, robbery, extortion, assault and theft.

In 2007, he was handed a seven-year prison sentence for his involvement in a nationwide extortion racket, focused on stealing cars and demanding money for them.

At his trial, in which he was described as a major player, Det Sgt Fergus Treanor said Zelvys had several previous convictions including rape, robbery and breaking out of prison.

Both he and his wife, Edita Zelvine, were charged in 2006 in connection with an organised crime ring.

Zelvys was given two years for the unauthorised taking of a car in Kilcock, driving off from a service station and being a passenger in a stolen car.

All seven defendants in the case were living in a six-bedroom rented home in Rathcoole at the time.

In November 2008, he received a four-month sentence for assaulting a female Garda in Buckingham Street, Dublin.

The scene of yesterday’s shooting was sealed off for technical examination and an incident room has been set up at Clondalkin Garda Station.

Investigators are looking for information about the silver Audi A3 that was seen in the area between 7am and 10am.

They are also appealing for witnesses who were on the Greenogue Industrial Estate or the Aylmer housing estate at the time to contact them.

A Garda spokesman said: “No arrests have been made to date and inquiries are ongoing.”

PA