Garda crackdown on organised crime gangs results in drop in murders

Gardaí have intervened in 77 instances where there was an imminent threat to life, including the potential use of firearms

Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll said the total number of murders and manslaughter cases dropped from 47 in 2018 to a provisional estimate of 23 in 2021. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

The number of murders has halved in the last three years, the Garda’s top crime officer has revealed, saying it was partly due to Garda operations against organised crime gangs.

Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll said the total number of murders and manslaughter cases dropped from 47 in 2018 to a provisional estimate of 23 in 2021.

The head of Garda Organised and Serious Crime said these figures comprised 42 murders and four manslaughters in 2018, and 22 murders and one manslaughter last year.

“Our capacity to take on organised crime has had an impact on them,” he told RTÉ's News at One.

Gangland murders have dropped dramatically in recent years, falling from 10 in 2019 to two in 2020 [three including the Drogheda feud-related murder of Dubliner Robbie Lawlor in Belfast] and just one in 2021.

Ten years ago, there were 15 gangland murders in the country and 18 in 2010.

Mr O’Driscoll’s comments followed a detailed statement from Garda HQ on gangland successes in recent years, with the seizure of €24.5m in cash from criminal gangs since 2015, including over €5.5m last year.

The figure solely relates to operations by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB), which comes under his division.

This trend is continuing this year with the seizure of almost €490,000 by DOCB after it stopped a truck on Dublin Port Plaza.

Mr O’Driscoll said last year was particularly successful in that €8.2m was forfeited to the State from cash seized.

That’s out of a total of €11m, to date, handed over to the State since 2015.

He said it includes the largest cash seizure in recent years – €3.5m in Co Kerry in September 2020 – which belonged to Ireland's biggest heroin trafficking gang.

He said about €5.7m in cash was seized in 2021 and €7.8m in 2020 (including the €3.5m haul). These mark a considerable increase on the previous year, when €2.5m was seized.

“Taking the money is important,” said Mr O’Driscoll, “but it is not the only way we tackle them. The number one priority continues to be tackling threat to life incidents.

“We have intervened on 77 occasions where there was threat to life and death was imminent and these incidents involve seizing the firearms.” 

The Garda boss previously told the Irish Examiner they had particular success in taking out at least three “hit teams” for the Kinahan cartel as well as thwarting individual hitmen.

He said if DOCB had not taken out these teams, they would arguably have committed more murders and said the non-jury Special Criminal Court had been key to the quick and successful prosecutions of those involved.

Major cash hauls in 2021 include a €1.2m seizure in Ballybrittas, Co Laois, in January, and a €1.63m haul, the same month, in a Dublin hotel bedroom.