Chief vows to starve gangstars of cash

The police commander heading a new offensive against organised crime in Northern Ireland tonight warned paramilitary gangsters: "The easy life is over."

Alan McQuillan, chief constable Hugh Orde’s No 2, has been appointed assistant director of the Assets Recovery Agency which is being established as part of the Government’s war on outfits heavily involved in drugs, racketeering and extortion.

He will be scrutinising how 86 crime families operating in Northern Ireland - half of them linked to loyalist and republican organisations – make their cash.

Mr McQuillan said: “We want to deprive them of funding and break up their networks.

“Politicians and community leaders have said certain individuals are untouchable. But if they are involved in crime we will be targeting them.”