Dutch authorities decide not to re-arrest Savage
Tommy Savage was released from custody at the end of last month after being arrested on foot of a international warrant issued by Greek authorities. Police in Greece want to prosecute the Dublin man in relation to the seizure of four tonnes of cannabis in 1997.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amsterdam decided last Friday they would not appeal a decision taken by an investigating judge to free Savage until the hearing date.
When Savage was picked up by Dutch police the news was greeted with delight by senior gardaí, who list him as one of the biggest Irish traffickers based in the Netherlands. However, after he was released, garda officers warned that Savage would not wait around for the extradition hearing.
Savage, a former paramilitary, was freed on condition he surrender his passport, which he did.
Gardaí who know Savage said he would have no problem getting another passport and fleeing abroad.
They suspect Savage may go, and indeed, may have already gone, to Spain, where growing numbers of Irish crime bosses operate.
The prosecutor’s office considered appealing the decision to release Savage after reading media reports, both here and in the Netherlands, about the case. Spokesman Meulen Broek told the Irish Examiner at the time they did not realise who Mr Savage was when the judge ordered his release.
Yesterday, Mr Broek confirmed that Savage was now free until the extradition hearing starts.
No date has yet been set. It could be weeks, or months, Mr Broek said.
Savage originally fled to the Netherlands in the mid-1990s with fellow Dublin criminals Mick Weldon and Robbie Murphy, following IRA threats. Together they set up massive drug trafficking networks into Ireland, supplying dealers in north Dublin, the border region and Cork.
There are no warrants for his arrest here, although gardaí would like to talk to him in relation to information he might have about two murders.
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