Guerin link thug foiled in drug and guns swoop
Gardai last night intercepted a huge haul of firearms and drugs after a five-month investigation into a major international trafficking operation masterminded from a prison cell.
Heavily armed detectives moved in yesterday as the shipment was being switched between vehicles in a north Dublin car park.
They seized 27 guns, including machine pistols, ammunition, silencers, a €4m haul of heroin and cannabis herb worth up to €100,000.
The shipment was destined for a big drugs gang operating in Crumlin and other south Dublin suburbs.
The mastermind of the foiled importation was named last night as Brian Meehan, who is serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin in June 1996.
A further 14 firearms and a substantial six-figure amount of cash were seized by the PSNI after the arrest, in a Belfast hotel, of a close associate of Mr Meehan -- also from the Crumlin area and in his mid-30s.
Gardai detained a 42-year-old from Tipperary in the Dublin raid, and he can be held without charge for up to seven days under drug trafficking laws. A further 10 searches were being carried out last night in the greater Dublin area as part of the operation. The lengthy investigation involved gardai, the PSNI, Dutch police, the Revenue drugs team and the British customs service.
Codenamed Bench, the operation here was led by the Garda national drugs unit and involved the emergency response unit, the national surveillance unit, the criminal assets bureau, the organised crime unit, and fraud bureau.
Launched in April, operation Bench focused on a major south Dublin gang, involving ex-members of an outfit formerly led by John Gilligan.
Gardai are satisfied the drugs and guns importation was overseen by Brian Meehan from his cell in Portlaoise jail.
Senior officers believe the shipment was sourced in the Netherlands through a network of criminal contacts built up by the gang over years.
It was brought through the UK into Northern Ireland, and divided up between the Dublin gang and its associates in the North. Gardai waited until the shipment was at the Coachman's Inn pub, near Dublin airport, before they pounced as the guns and drugs were being moved from a jeep to a car.
The Tipperary man arrested at the scene is regarded as a minor player. The firearms included machine pistols, Glock pistols, Berettas and Smith and Wessons as well as a variety of ammunition and firearms accessories, including silencers.
Also intercepted were 20 kilos of heroin and 10 kilos of cannabis herb. Gardai believe the south Dublin gang intended to sell some of the weapons to other trafficking outfits, and keep the rest.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy said last night the operation made significant inroads into an international organised crime gang involved in large-scale drugs and firearms importation and distribution, in Ireland and the UK.
Co-operation
He said the operation could not have been successful without close liaison among several law enforcement agencies in three jurisdictions. "It is an example of what is being achieved in our efforts to provide a safer living environment," he added.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern congratulated the gardai and the other police forces, whose intelligence-led approach had resulted in a highly significant capture.
In the North, Det Supt Essie Adair said the operation disrupted a major crime gang.
"Those involved in these types of crime are living off the backs of communities and leaving misery and despair in their wake," he added.
- Tom Brady Security Editor
