Gardaí believe men were shot and then dumped on island

Gardaí believe two men whose bodies were found on an island in a Co Cavan lake were killed by criminals they were trying to collect a drugs debt from.

The remains of Eoin O'Connor (32) and Anthony Keegan (33) were found on the small island on Lough Sheelin on the Cavan-Meath border yesterday after a month of searching in both counties.

The find was made at around 4.30pm after locals tipped off gardaí about a smell coming from the island, which was caused by the men’s bodies decomposing.

From the time of their disappearances on April 22nd, gardaí believed they had been murdered and the search operation was always aimed at finding their bodies.

While intelligence from the criminal underworld suggested the men had been shot and their bodies dumped in the region rather than buried, the information was not specific enough to enable the search operation to focus on a smaller area and find the remains sooner.

Post mortems on the victims were ongoing this afternoon after the bodies had undergone a preliminary examination by a pathologist at the scene, though Garda sources said the men had been shot.

They were killed elsewhere and their bodies taken to the island by boat, where they were left covered in tarpaulin.

The men, who were not regarded as major criminals, were last seen on April 22nd when they travelled from Dublin to Co Cavan for what is understood to have been a prearranged meeting.

They did not return to Dublin prompting family members to raise the alarm.

Gardaí believe they had gone to Cavan to collect a sum of money, of at least €15,000, owed as part of a drugs deal. However, they were killed by those they met and their bodies disposed of.

Detectives investigating the murders are working on the theory the men had gone to Cavan on behalf of a well-known drug dealer and armed robber based in Coolock, north Dublin, where the dead men were last seen alive.

They appeared to believe their lives were in danger, leaving instructions with at least one person to alert gardaí if they had not returned within a tight time frame.

They also supplied that person with the name of the man they claimed they were going to Cavan to meet.

The focus of the investigation is now on an Irish gangland criminal based in the Cavan area and another suspect who is not from Ireland.

However, Garda sources stressed it was not unusual for criminals to buy debts from each other, meaning the initial party who owed the money may have paid a third party to take on the debt and face down the demands of those seeking to collect the money.

An intensive search of the countryside around Ballyjamesduff in Co Cavan was carried out immediately after the men went missing.

But efforts were diverted to Lough Owel in Co Westmeath following the discovery of the grey Ford Focus car with a 04 D 46830 registration in which the men had been travelling.

Gardaí are unclear if the men drove to the lake and were taken somewhere else or if whoever was behind their disappearance moved their car to the lakeside to confuse the Garda’s search for the men.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone with information to come forward, requesting in particular those from the boating community on Lough Sheelin.

Last month, during searches around the lake, a boat was removed by gardaí from a private address. The significance of this remains unclear.