Killer probably used silencer on gun

THE hitman who gunned down a suspected drug dealer in the hallway of his rented home in Co Cork probably used a silencer.

It is understood that nobody living nearby 36-year-old Darren Falsey’s home in a busy estate in Carrigaline heard shots being fired, despite the fact that he was hit by three bullets in the middle of the afternoon.

Gardaí trying to trace the killer are currently looking at a number of vehicles which were in the area at the time to eliminate them from their inquiries.

A team of up to 60 gardaí are working on the case and examining CCTV footage taken in the Carrigaline area.

They are also studying Mr Falsey’s mobile phone records in an attempt to find out who he was in contact with in the hours leading up to his death at his house in Ashbourne Court last Wednesday week.

It is possible that Mr Falsey knew his killer and opened the door to him before he was shot at almost point-blank range in the hallway.

Gardaí are meanwhile likely to apply under Proceeds of Crime legislation or the Police Property Act to retain nearly €40,000 in cash that they recovered from another premises frequented by Mr Falsey.

The cash was found hidden in a refrigerator at a rented lock-up in Riverstick where Mr Falsey, a keen huntsman, used to keep some dogs.

He was buried on Tuesday following a funeral mass in Ballinora, which was attended by family members and some close friends.

Garda sources indicated that they received good cooperation from the public in relation to their ongoing inquiries, and have spoken to a number of his friends.

The inquiry is said to be slow and painstaking.

Gardaí are moving to the conclusion that Mr Falsey, who was originally from Waterfall, may have been killed by an associate he fell out with, rather than the Real IRA, which claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of another Cork drug dealer, Gerard “Topper” Staunton, in 2009.

The dissident group, which had previously handed out leaflets in a number of pubs on the southside of Cork city warning people to desist from dealing drugs, also claimed to have shot Kieran O’Flynn at his house in Dublin Hill in 2001.

O’Flynn was known as a major dealer and had previous drug convictions.

On the day Mr Falsey was murdered, he had visited Cork city with his partner, Lorraine Conroy.

She dropped him back at their home at 2pm.

She then left and, when she returned approximately 45 minutes later, found him lying in a pool of blood.

Gardaí later found 9mm shell casings at the scene, which showed the weapon used by the hitman was a pistol.

It is possible that the hitman had been watching Mr Falsey’s movements for a number of days prior to the murder.

* Anyone with information is asked to contact the special incident room at Togher Garda station on 021-4947120.