Many more dead since McDowell declared victory in gangland war

Life is cheap among the drug-dealing gangs responsible for the spate of deaths this year, writes Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs…

Life is cheap among the drug-dealing gangs responsible for the spate of deaths this year, writes Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs Correspondent

It is almost a year to the day since Minister for Justice Michael McDowell told journalists that the gangland culture in Dublin had largely been broken up, thanks to the efforts of the Garda Síochána.

Speaking after the killing of Paul Cunningham on November 23rd, 2004, he described it as "the sting of the dying wasp". Cunningham had been the sixth victim in 18 months of a war between two gangs of west Dublin criminals.

Since then 17 people have died, including the two shot on Sunday night.

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Not all of them have been killed in gang-related murders and not all have been involved in the same gangs.

Two of those killed violently in the past year have been killed by gardaí. Colm Griffin and Eric Hopkins were shot dead as they tried to rob a post office in Lusk on May 26th last.

Another man, Jimmy Curran, was shot dead in the Green Lizard Pub opposite the Tivoli Theatre off Thomas St in Dublin city centre on April 3rd last. He had no criminal associations, and a man is facing charges in connection with this murder.

Later that month another young man, Joseph Rafferty, was shot dead outside his apartment in Ongar, west Dublin.

He too had no criminal associations and his family has accused a former IRA member of killing him as part of a personal dispute.

Also in April, a young Traveller, Hughie McGinley, was shot dead in Sligo town as part of an ongoing feud between two local families.

However, there have been over a dozen killings related to inter-gang rivalry.

On March 9th John Roche, from Drimnagh in Dublin, was shot dead in Kilmainham in an ongoing gangland feud.

On April 14th, Terry Dunleavy, a drug-dealer, was shot dead outside his girlfriend's flat at Croke Villas, near Croke Park.

On April 30th, Andrew Glennon (30) was gunned down in Clonee, Co Meath, by a gang of four men who surrounded his car and pumped bullets into it.

Later in the year the family lost another son, Mark, when he was shot outside his home in Hartstown, Dublin. His father, Frank, witnessed the murder and cradled his son in his arms as he lay dying.

This was part of a feud that arose from a break-up of a criminal gang based in west Dublin and known colloquially as the Westies. Late last year a member of the rival gang, Paul Cunningham, was killed, and two members have disappeared in Spain and are presumed dead.

On May 5th, Mark Byrned (31) was shot dead while on day release from Mountjoy Prison. He had convictions for drugs, robbery and assault, and had assaulted another prisoner.

On May 14th in another drug-related killing, Martin Kenny, aged 22, was shot dead at his girlfriend's home in Ballyfermot, Dublin.

Another drug-dealer, Tony Creed, also died that month, when he was shot dead in the bedroom of his home on May 27th.

There was a lull over the summer, but this was broken on August 13th, when a Cork drug-dealer Eric Cummins was killed outside his home in Ballincollig. He was thought to have links with Limerick-based gangs.

On August 18th the remains of Andrew Dillon, from Finglas in Dublin, were found by a roadside near Ashbourne, Co Meath. He was also a drug-dealer, but not thought to be a major figure.

On November 5th a young man, Owen McCarthy from Ashwood Park Clondalkin, was found dead on a Co Wicklow road, shot in the head.

Gardaí believed he was shot first and then his body taken and dumped. His was the 15th violent death in 2005, with yesterday's two deaths bringing the total to 17, of whom two had no criminal associations. All were in their 20s or early 30s.

A quick look at the origins of the victims shows that less than half can be explained as arising from a feud between former members of a west Dublin gang. Only six come from the Ballyfermot/Clondalkin/Tallaght area. Four were from north Dublin. All but two of the killings were in Dublin, and so far, only one person has been charged.

Operation Anvil was set up by the Garda Síochána earlier this year to fight gang-related killings, and yesterday the Minister for Justice insisted that this campaign was successful.