Drug deals another gangland killing

THE gangland killing of a major heroin dealer in Dublin’s south inner city may have been over a drug deal gone wrong or a row over territory, sources said yesterday.

Ray Salinger, 40, was assassinated as he sat sipping a pint in Farrell’s pub, on the corner of Clanbrassil Street and Long Lane, late on Tuesday night.

Gardaí said a man wearing a balaclava walked into the pub just before 10pm and shot Salinger twice in the chest and twice in the head. Detectives are investigating conflicting reports there was also a second attacker.

Gardaí have described the gunman as 5’ 8’’, “youngish”, and wearing a beige top and blue jeans.

One witness, who had been just chatting to the victim, had his back to Salinger when he heard a bang.

“I thought it was a firework. I turned around. I’d seen two youngfellas, one had a gun, the two of them had balaclavas, he just shot at yer man. Yer man got up to try and run, he was shot again. He ran towards the toilet, but hit the floor, and the two youngfellas just ran out the door.”

Salinger, married with children, was one of more than 30 people in the pub, watching a football match on Sky.

He was taken by ambulance to St James’ Hospital, but he was pronounced dead at 10.30pm.

A garda spokesman said: “The manner in which this was carried out would suggest one of two things: either a cold, clinical hit, or some fella who didn’t care less went in and bang.”

Investigating gardaí said Salinger was very well known to them but not someone they’d consider a “Mr Big” in the drugs trade.

However, other sources, as well as anti-drug sources in the south inner city, said Salinger was a major heroin dealer, although not the most senior member of the gang.

Sources said “Rayo” Salinger started dealing when he was just 14 from Chamber Court flat complex, where the family lived. He became very close with the notorious Dunne family in nearby Weaver Court.

In the mid-1980s he was caught, along with two others, including a major dealer, with a large quantity of heroin in Ballymun. They were charged, but managed to flee to Birmingham.

Ray Salinger’s brother, Larry, is serving six years in an English jail after being caught in possession of six kilos of heroin. Their operation supplied heroin to Dublin’s south inner city, particularly the Meath Street and Thomas Street areas, for more than a decade.

They bought their heroin directly from a major Turkish crime family in London and have an extended network of people who carry out the actual smuggling and distribution.

Members of the Salinger family run a tourist-related business based in the south inner city. His grief-stricken mother, Billie, yesterday strongly denied her son was involved in drug dealing.

“No, never. He was in England for 16 long years and just came home a few months ago and has been working at the bricklaying. That’s as far as I know. He has a little girl and she was his life. They were never apart. In fact she was waiting for him to come home when this thing occurred.”

Ray Salinger returned from England last June. He is thought to be a close friend of Harry Melia, a former member of Martin “The General” Cahill’s gang. Melia only recently got out of Portlaoise Jail after serving a seven-year sentence.

Detectives in Kevin Street have appealed for witnesses in Farrell’s pub, or on the adjacent streets, who have not yet come forward, to contact the station at [phone].

Salinger’s murder comes six days after the fatal shooting of criminal Niall Mulvihill in the north inner city.