Gardaí monitoring Dublin Airport ahead of Hutch funeral
It emerged yesterday that the sons of drug boss Christopher Kinahan, Daniel and Christy Jr, have remained in Dublin, staying at a luxury city-centre hotel — four days on from the funeral of associate David Byrne.
Mr Byrne, from Crumlin in south Dublin, was buried after a lavish funeral replete with ten stretch limousines last Monday.
He was shot dead at the Regency Hotel on February 5 — sparking a revenge attack on Mr Hutch at his home in the north inner city three days later.
Mr Hutch, aged 58, was not involved in organised crime, but was considered a ‘soft touch’ by the Kinahan gang in their feud with the Hutch outfit.
A massive Garda operation, comprising 100 members, was put in place for Mr Byrne’s funeral and subsequent social functions which passed off quietly.
A similar operation will be in place for Mr Hutch’s funeral.
Senior gardaí have indicated there was no intelligence of any attack.
“We are watching people going in and out of the country, but we do not think there is a threat,” said one security source.
“They’ll probably wait until things calm down.”
There are around 40 associates of the Kinahan crime cartel, based in the Crumlin, Drimnagh, south inner-city area, with a similar number attached to the Hutch gang in the north inner city.
As part of the policing plan, gardaí have been assigned to liaise with the family and the undertakers, including discussing and deciding the funeral route.
A significant part of the plan, led by Chief Supt Pat Leahy, is clearing the route and securing it from possible attack.
Uniformed gardaí will be backed up by the heavily-armed Emergency Response Unit and Special Detective Unit, assisted by the Garda helicopter.
The funeral Mass is being held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sean McDermott St at 11am with burial at Glasnevin Cemetery.
It is not clear if the deceased’s brother, Gerry “The Monk” Hutch, will attend.
Their nephew, Derek Hutch, will not be released from his high-security wing in Wheatfield Prison to attend. He is serving time for manslaughter, a cash-in-transit robbery, and gun offences, and is not due out until 2021.
It is understood he has not been allowed an escort to attend the funeral home to see his uncle’s remains.
He was given an escort to see the remains of his brother Gary Hutch, who was murdered in Spain last September at the hands, it is suspected, of the Kinahan gang.
It is understood €8,000 in cash was put behind the bar of the Belgard Inn for the social function after the funeral of Mr Byrne, attended by up to 170 people.
It continued until 1am when two minibuses brought some of the crowd to the Byrne house in Raleigh Square. They included the Kinahan brothers and associate Freddie Thompson, who left at around 9am and got a taxi.
Sources said there was no public disorder or any trouble during the night.
