Three escape Swords gun attack

Detectives were today probing the latest gun attack linked to escalating gangland crime.

The intended victims escaped uninjured after gunmen opened fire last night on a home in Swords in north Dublin.

Three people were in the Castleview Row house at the time, around 11.15pm, but were upstairs when shots were pumped into the downstairs living room.

Investigating gardaí believe the shooting was carried out by figures involved in the drugs trade.

A recent spate of gun killings has forced the government into a new organised crime offensive.

An area surrounding the Swords house remained sealed off overnight under garda protection until crime scene investigators arrived to gather forensic evidence.

A silver-coloured car was seen driving away from the street after the shooting and detectives appealed for further information.

As the garda technical unit pored over the area for clues, the family of an innocent victim of the surging gun crime prepared to bury him.

Anthony Campbell, the 20-year-old apprentice plumber murdered by the killers of one of the country's biggest drugs barons, Martin “Marlo” Hyland, because he was working on the house where the crime boss was staying, is being laid to rest in Newlands Cross cemetery today.