Resources key in this conflict too - Challenging gangland killers

The audacity of the assassins who murdered David Byrne, 32, a member of an Irish-led crime cartel based in southern Spain, in a northside Dublin hotel during a weigh-in for a boxing match last week, was as breathtaking as it was challenging. It also raises fears about the likelihood of a resurgence in gangland tit-for-tat murders.

That the killers seemed utterly indifferent to the probability that the event would be attended by the media and an inevitable battery of cameras — some used by members of the public too — suggests an arrogance that could only exist among those absolutely confident that they would not face the consequences of their actions. That a newspaper yesterday published pictures of two of the gunmen, unmasked, leaving the hotel after the murder adds to the feeling that these people believe themselves untouchable.

It also underlines how very difficult it is to crack down on the gangs dominating the Irish drugs market as so many of the main players are based in continental Europe, especially southern Spain, putting them pretty much beyond the reach of the Criminal Assets Bureau.