Sour deal may have led to murder
The 57-year-old "broker" who had connections with an Amsterdam-based Irish drug baron was gunned down during a pre-arranged meeting in Dublin's north inner city at 9.30pm on Thursday night.
He was sitting in his taxi at Spencer Dock Bridge when a masked gunman fired around five shots through the driver's widow, hitting him four times.
Mulvihill, of New Cabra Road, in the north inner city, still managed to drive his taxi to the North Circular Road, but crashed before he could reach nearby Mater Hospital. He died in the hospital shortly after midnight.
Mulvihill earned substantial amounts of money from his activities and was recently issued with a €800,000-plus tax demand by the Criminal Assets Bureau.
He had a plush house in Shrewsbury Road in upmarket Ballsbridge, as well as a number of other properties.
Gardaí would not comment officially on the motive behind the murder. However, they are investigating the possibility it may have been the result of a debt.
"He was not involved in drugs or dealing. He may have been involved in laundering drug money. Money was his thing, so it could have been over money," said a garda source.
The father-of-two was suspected of being involved in organisational aspects of securing the entry of shipments of drugs into the country for international dealers.
Gardaí have linked him with the operations of one of Ireland's biggest foreign-based drug dealer, who supplies the country with heroin and cocaine from Holland.
It is not thought the shooting was carried out by paramilitaries or professional hitmen.
"I wouldn't think there was any paramilitary involvement, It would have been more efficient, a single pop to the head. He wouldn't have been alive after been hit four times. I'd say it was a falling out among criminals," a source said.
Mulvihill inherited his dad's pub, Ball Alley, in Sheriff Street, and later bought the nearby Jetfoil pub. Both mysteriously burnt down in suspected insurance scams.
A former Fianna Fáil activist, he had dealings with many of the former crime bosses in Dublin, including Martin 'The General' Cahill and John Traynor.
In September 1993, he was arrested in Antwerp, Belgium after being nabbed with six paintings from the Beit collection, which had been stolen from Russborough House by Martin Cahill in 1986.
Mulvihill was trying to swap the paintings for a major heroin deal but was interrupted by Interpol. But he miraculously managed to escape prosecution.
Locals yesterday had mixed, but mainly negative, things to say about Mulvihill, who was the manager of local football club Sheriff United.
"He was a kind of Jekyll and Hyde figure. He spent hours and hours at the local soccer club and spent a lot of money there and was loved by the young men there.
"On the other hand he was wheeling and dealing with criminals, and probably heroin dealers and he got whacked for a deal gone wrong. People who knew that side of him would say good riddance to him," said a local source.
Gardaí have appealed for anyone with information to contact Store Street Station at 6668000.
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