Kinahan cartel back in city for big fight night
Armed garda units are monitoring the activities of senior members of the Christy Kinahan crime cartel who have travelled to the capital for a major boxing event taking place tonight.
Among those expected to attend the event at the National Stadium on Dublin's southside is Christy's son Daniel.
He has travelled from Spain and has been staying at a property in the Lucan area of the capital and is being protected by British bodyguards.
Senior sources have revealed that notorious drugs trafficker Greg Lynch is said to be "having the time of his life", showing off his to pals from the Costa-del-Crime.
Feared thug Lynch - who was left with horrific injuries after being shot in the face almost two years ago - has been travelling around in a black Range Rover in a security convoy with up to four high-end cars.
The convoy includes "spotters" who have been watching for gardai and gangland rivals.
"They are going around the south inner city like they own the place in their convoy, which includes BMWs and Range Rovers. They are as cocky as you could get - they have even brought their own bodyguards.
"Of course the sight of all this is intimidating to the decent people in the locality and you would think that if there were more garda resources, some of these thugs would have to deal with in-your-face policing tactics but this is not happening."
Specialist garda units are carrying out surveillance on the criminals, some of whom are considered Europe's most-dangerous gangsters.
Cannabis
The Herald revealed last week that gardai struck a massive blow against the Kinahan cartel when they seized €1.7m worth of cannabis belonging to the so-called 'Dapper Don'.
Units from the Garda National Drugs Unit, the National Surveillance Unit and customs officials intercepted a truck as it made its way through north Dublin and a man and a woman were arrested.
It is estimated that the Kinahan cartel are worth over €500m and their influence on the gangland scene here remains enormous.
Gardai also believe that the mob sanctioned the gun murder of Michael 'Mad Mickey' Devoy in January of last year.
It is suspected to have been a revenge attack for Devoy's botched assassination attempt against key Kinahan lieutenant Greg Lynch in October, 2013.
There are to be eight bouts in the National Stadium tonight including Ryan Burnett versus Csaba Kovas in the bantamweight contest and a heavyweight fight between Sean Turner and Janis Ginters