Haul of 220,000 ecstasy tablets hits Gilligan gang fugitive Mitchell
The seizure of 220,000 ecstasy tablets in Dublin’s north inner city is also thought to be linked with last week’s gangland murder of William O’Regan.
The haul, valued at €2.2-€2.8m on the street, is believed to have been trafficked into the country by Peter Mitchell.
Mitchell, from Dublin’s north inner city, fled to Spain following the murder of Veronica Guerin in 1996, which was carried out by members of the Gilligan gang.
The seizure was made by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI).
Members from the bureau stopped a car on the North Circular Road following a surveillance operation.
A 24-year-old Finglas man was arrested. The tablets were found following a search of the car. He was brought to Mountjoy Garda Station and detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
He is expected to be charged today or tomorrow.
Mitchell, 34, has maintained a gang structure in his home patch since he fled to Spain, from where he organises the importation into Ireland of large shipments of drugs.
He is wanted by authorities here in connection with the murder of Ms Guerin.
Gardaí believe yesterday’s seizure will have wider implications for members of Mitchell’s operations in Dublin.
Detectives investigating last Tuesday’s assassination of small-time dealer William O’Regan, 32, will look into the link between the seizure and the murder.
He died on Thursday night after being shot twice in the head while watching television with his girlfriend in their flat on New Cabra Road.
