The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, has expressed his "shock and disgust" at the killings of three Irishmen in the Netherlands. Dutch police yesterday formally identified the men, who were killed by criminals in the drugs trade.
The families of the victims had waited 11 days for official confirmation. The dead men were named as Mr Damien Monahan (24), from Ennis, Co Clare, and brothers Vincent (29) and Morgan Costello (21), from Bansha, Co Tipperary.
Speaking at the Garda Representative Association conference in Westport, Co Mayo, Mr Byrne said organised crime was now well structured and he stressed the need to forge international links to combat the gangs.
The three men were mutilated, tortured and shot before their bodies were burned in the bathroom of the fifth-floor apartment in The Hague suburb of Scheveningen on April 29th.
Identifying the remains proved a slow process for Dutch police, who used DNA methods. Blood samples taken from family members were flown to the Netherlands along with the men's dental records.
Members of Mr Monahan's family travelled to the Netherlands this week. His body was released yesterday and his family hope to bring the remains home today.
The Costello family has requested that no media attend the funeral of the two brothers on Friday. Their remains are expected in Ireland tomorrow.
Police believe the killings were carried out or ordered by a drugs gang that lost a consignment of firearms and drugs to police in March.
A Dublin trafficker and a Dutch associate were arrested and follow-up raids yielded arms and drugs with a street value of more than £8 million.
According to Dutch police sources, a quantity of amphetamines and a tablet press were discovered in the apartment rented by one of the Irishmen.
A spokeswoman for the Dutch public prosecutor's office yesterday told RTE news the three men had not previously come to the attention of the police. The spokeswoman also confirmed that Irish people were arrested in recent police operations against drugs. "I cannot tell you now that there is a link between these people and this case," she added.