A 32-year-old man was in a critical condition in hospital last night after being shot in the latest in a series of gang-related assassination attempts in west Dublin.
The man was hit by a number of bullets fired by the pillion passenger of a motorcycle which pulled up beside the injured man's car as it stopped close to the Grand Canal on Killeen Road, Ballyfermot at 8.50 a.m. He was struck a number of times in the upper body.
He was taken to Tallaght Hospital where he underwent surgery for serious chest and head injuries.
Gardaí in west Dublin have become concerned at the number of assassinations and attempted assassinations related to gang violence. In the past three weeks, two men have been shot and injured in separate assassination attempts in Crumlin and Finglas.
According to a senior Garda source, a number of gunmen in Dublin are hiring out their services to drugs gangs. Gardaí have been told it is possible to have someone shot dead in Dublin for as little as €1,000. It is also known that in some instances the gunmen are heavy cocaine abusers and this is thought to have contributed to the number of bungled attempted killings.
Yesterday morning's attack bore a resemblance to the assassination in June 1996 of the journalist Veronica Guerin. She was shot dead while sitting in her car at traffic lights on the Naas Dual Carriageway by members of the gang run by the Dublin drug trafficker, John Gilligan.
Gardaí in west Dublin report that a man in his early 30s who was peripherally involved in Gilligan's gang is now the leading drug supplier in west Dublin, trading primarily in heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.
This man's gang is believed to have been responsible for up to four murders in the past year.
A considerable amount of gang-related violence is centred on the Crumlin area. There have been four murders, three near-fatal shootings and several other shootings, stabbings and beatings over the past year in the Sundrive Garda sub-district.
The last shooting in the Crumlin area, just over two weeks ago, is believed to have been carried out by members of an extended family with a considerable history of involvement in crime.
This family has also been involved in a number of disputes with other criminal gangs across Dublin. Shootings in the north inner city, Finglas and the south inner city and Crumlin have been attributed to some of the disputes involving the family.
It is suspected the man shot yesterday recently became the target of a drugs gang based in the Ballyfermot area. Despite the efforts of gardaí, the drugs trade is continuing to flourish in working-class areas of Dublin.
Cocaine, once used mainly by the wealthy, has dropped significantly in price and has become widely used in working-class estates and at clubs and pubs all around Dublin. Gardaí report that cocaine users who drink heavily are contributing to late night street violence in the city.Cocaine abuse is also said to be contributing to increased inter-gang violence.
In his first address to gardaí, at Templemore Garda College on Thursday, the new Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said he wished to see arrests for drugs increased by 50 per cent over the next six years.