Officers probe drugs gang link in hunt for ex-garda’s killers

Gardaí were continuing a painstaking examination of the house and grounds of murdered ex-garda John Keirns in a forensic hunt for traces of his killers yesterday.

As a complex picture continued to build of the separated father of three’s criminal entanglements, officers leading the investigation met to try to narrow down the list of suspects.

Members of a drugs gang with whom he associated are thought most likely to have wanted the former fraud squad detective dead because of concerns that he might inform on them.

The 48-year-old, who lived at Cornaveagh, near Bailieborough, Co Cavan, had been attracting increasing Garda attention over the last year, particularly in relation to the 2011 disappearance of his neighbour Gerard Daly.

He was also was awaiting trial on charges of stealing farm machinery in Cork and was in addition likely to face a minor drugs possession charge.

Mr Daly’s family had renewed their public appeal for information on his whereabouts on what would have been his 44th birthday just two days before Mr Keirns was shot dead.

The dead man’s personal life was also complicated and his funeral arrangements had yet to be finalised last night.

It also emerged he had been trying to sell the house where he was murdered.

The house which he used to share with his wife and three children is a detached, four-bedroom building that he had built to high specifications. He was seeking offers in excess of €250,000.

Although it is one of a string of houses in Cornaveagh, the area is surrounded by countryside about 9km from Bailieborough and the relative isolation appears to have made it easy for the killer or killers to access the property unseen.

However, gardaí believe that someone may have seen or heard something in the area on the night Mr Keirns was murdered that would assist with their investigation.

They are appealing to anyone who was in the Cornaveagh or Canningstown areas outside Bailieborough between 5pm on Nov 8 and 8am on Nov 9 and who saw anything out of the ordinary to contact them.