Alleged hitman further remanded over Hutch murder plot

A man charged with conspiracy to murder a friend of the Hutch family has been further remanded in custody.

Gardaí from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau supported by members of the Special Crime Task Force, Emergency Response Unit and Armed Support Unit raided a premises in west Dublin on the morning of April 4th.

Three men were arrested as part of an investigation into the Hutch-Kinahan feud, including Imre Arakas (58), with an address at Sopruse, Tallinn, Estonia.

Mr Arakas was charged on April 6th last and then remanded in custody.

He is accused of conspiring with others not before the courts to murder James Gately in Northern Ireland between April 3rd and April 4th. The offence is under Section 71 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

He faced his fourth hearing on Wednesday when he appeared at Cloverhill District Court.

Judge Victor Blake further remanded him in custody to appear again on May 24th. He has not yet indicated how he will plead to the charge.

At his first hearing, on April 6th, a court was told "he made no reply to the charge" and due to the nature of the charge a bail application could only be made in the High Court.

Directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) have been sought.

Legal aid was allowed following submissions that he was unemployed and unable to pay a lawyer.

The other two other men arrested in connection with this investigation have been released from Garda custody without charge. A file is being prepared for the DPP.