Drug dealer suspected of gangland murder

A MAJOR drug dealer who is thought to be a main suspect for the latest gangland murder is out on bail for a serious drugs offence, sources said yesterday.

The individual is facing charges in relation to the seizure of around €2 million worth of cocaine in north Dublin last year.

The man, aged in his mid 20s, is believed to be a key suspect for the murder of Paul Kelly in the Clontarf area of north Dublin on Good Friday.

Kelly, aged 26 and a father of two, was shot a large number of times by two gunmen at his sister’s apartment on Charlemont Road at 11.45pm.

Gardaí believe a handgun and a shotgun were used in the attack. It is the fifth gun murder so far this year.

Kelly, from Gardiner Street, in the Summerhill area of the north inner city, was known as a highly dangerous individual in his home area.

“He was a dealer in drugs, there’s not doubt about that,” said one local source. “He was involved in beating people up, threatening people who owed him money for drugs he was dealing.”

It is not clear whether his shooting was linked to a drugs dispute with the dealer who is facing charges.

Instead, gardaí suspect the two criminals were feuding over a personal matter, which had escalated.

There were unconfirmed reports yesterday that shots were fired into the home of the suspect and that a baby was in the room at the time.

Community sources said this may have been the “nail in the coffin” for Kelly, who was blamed for the attack.

There were also reports that Kelly stabbed an associate of the drug dealer in a shop in Summerhill last November.

Witnesses to last Friday’s murder reported seeing two individuals fleeing the scene wearing balaclavas and dark clothing.

Gardaí arrested five people early on Saturday morning.

A man and a woman were released on Sunday. Three men remained in custody last night.

Dublin Central TD Tony Gregory said it would be of major concern if one of the suspects was out on bail for a serious drugs offence.

“The shooting also highlights the fact that in some parts of Dublin guns like that are readily available to people who want to use them to kill people,” he said.

He said gardaí were still maintaining a heavy presence at flashpoints in the north inner city, which had been put in place following a number of murders linked to a separate feud.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Christy Burke said that yet again there were children without a father and sisters without a brother and that local people were “sick and horrified” at the shootings.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Coolock continued to question a 24-year-old man in connection with a stabbing incident in the Darndale area early yesterday morning. A 20-year-old man was found with knife wounds, which were described as being non-life threatening.

Fine Gael released figures yesterday showing there were 124 gun murders between 1998 and 2006, but that only 20 had resulted in a conviction.