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OVER THE LAST decade a violent heroin gang has been plying its trade around Ireland. It uses human trafficked teenagers to do its bidding. It ordered an acid attack on a garda who was investigating it. Young women have been forced into the sex trade because of it. Yet it has operated below the radar for a long time thanks to the Kinahan/Hutch feud.
The Lithuanian gang is run by two men, who are originally from the Kaunas and Plunge areas of the Eastern European country. They arrived into Ireland over a decade ago, one having murdered the gang’s top boss in Belfast and effectively taking control of the enterprise.
Over the last decade, this gang has moved from wholesale heroin dealing and has started operating in the prostitution trade.
As of now, gardaí believe this gang is operational in Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Kerry, Galway and Belfast.
Several garda units, including those who specialise in human trafficking investigations, are aware of this drugs gang. It is understood a high number of young Lithuanian men and women have been forced into criminality by the gang.
Its modus operandi for recruiting new members is to promise young and poor people from Eastern Europe that they will get legitimate jobs when they arrive into Ireland. But when they do get here, their passports are taken from them and they are forced into either the drug or sex trade, depending on their gender.
In fact, gardaí believe that a teenager who only arrived into the country in the last three months may have been the person to carry out an acid attack on a garda who is investigating the workings of this gang.
The trafficked people are used as disposable pawns by the gang. If they are arrested for possession with intent to supply, they are usually given bail as it would be their first offence in Ireland. The surety is paid by gang cash and then the young indentured drug dealer is moved to another location where he is once again forced to sell drugs. The dealers are given around €2 for every bag they sell.
The top tier of ‘workers’ is expected to bring in nearly €150k per month. The dealers are given food and a small amount of cash. The money is smuggled back to Lithuania by a number of trusted couriers. They are paid a fraction of the cash that they are trying to bring home for the gang.
Attack on garda
A member of a garda drugs unit was attacked with acid by a member of this gang last month.
In recent weeks, the garda has had his property damaged. Soon after that incident, two well-known members of the gang turned up outside his child’s school while the officer was picking his child up.
In the last month, the officer was driving home from work when his car was doused in what medics believe was an acidic solution. His car window was open at the time and he received some first-degree burn injuries as a result. He received treatment in a hospital and was discharged from medics’ care later that day.
It is understood that gardaí had conducted a number of raids on the criminal organisation and, subsequently, the officer began receiving threatening phone calls. Garda management believes its focus on the gang led to the initial intimidations.
The garda who was attacked has yet to be issued a Garda Information Message (GIM) – an official warning to those who are the subject of a serious threat against their personal safety.
It is believed that the officer did not make an official criminal complaint in relation to the attack but informed his superiors. Sources have said that senior gardaí are aware of what happened and have offered the man leave as a result. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
John O’Keeffe, spokesman for the GRA, told TheJournal.ie: ”The GRA is horrified, though not surprised, at the level of violence that is directed towards frontline gardai everyday – up to and including acid attacks.
“The criminal fraternity has no fear of attacking gardaí as there is little or no judicial sanction. The association now calls on government to introduce without delay mandatory minimum sentencing for all attacks on our frontline.”
International operation
Gardaí are working with their Lithuanian counterparts who are well aware of the criminal past of the top two in the gang. Intelligence is constantly being shared between the two countries. The PSNI is also kept up-to-date due to the gang’s connection to Belfast.
A number of Criminal Assets Bureau investigations – as well as Revenue probes – are also ongoing.
Gardaí believe they know who the gang’s drug supplier is and a number of potential fronts for washing drug money are also being probed by gardaí.
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When criminals start targetting members of the police force it is a direct threat to the democratic stability of that society. Government must respond with all the might at its disposal.
A covert force should be given license and immunity from prosecution to actively bring down any such gang by any means possible.
No criminal gang can become more powerful than the police.
Take them out.
@Jimmy Coltrane: they should resource what’s already there and no one should ever be given immunity from prosecution
@Jimmy Coltrane: There are a lot of criminals from Christian countries coming to Ireland to commit the worst type of crimes, these native Europeans are just the tip of the iceberg.
@Jimmy Coltrane: they need to be terminated
@Jimmy Coltrane: isn’t that out of “The untouchables”?
@Jimmy Coltrane:
“The name’s Bond, Garda Bond!”
@Graham:
OK Graham, you call round and speak to them nicely and that should be the end of it.
Cheers.
Deportation should be mandatory
@Jack Goff: should nt been allowed in to country in the 1st place
@Jack Goff: after serving a justified (not that we do those) sentence
@Kevin Moylan: free movement within Europe , don’t be so xenophobic.. immigrants have a right to be here more than citizens themselves regardless of criminality.. we are all Europeans
@Jack Goff: Deport their remains, it sends a stronger message !
@Jack Goff: Deport to Eastern Europe? They are back within the week.
@john: pleb!
Anyone with a seriously criminal record European or not going from or coming into this country should have to sign on at the local police station daily UNTIL they are clear of any criminal intent.
@Dave Walsh: Anybody in Europe with a criminal record should not be allowed into Ireland to work full stop.
@Scorpionvenomm: completely agree for serious criminal offenses.
@Scorpionvenomm: that’s discrimination.. criminals have a right to be here .. we are all EU members
@john: criminals forfeited such rights, when they elected to commit a crime.
@Scorpionvenomm: Agree, active criminals should not be allowed to travel by law until 10 years crime free !
@Peadar Ó Rathaille: you’re wrong , we are all signed up to the EU, a serial criminal has a right to move freely to another country when he is free … this is what ye all want … this is the EU … no point in complaining
All this info leaked before any court case or arrests seems very strange.. When do the Guards ever announce that a particular Guard has installed CCTV in their home or realesed the inner workings of a drug gang
@Travis: yeah it’s bizarre.. They’re announcing it for some reason.. Can’t figure out what though..
@John Doe: What police force announces to the media the inner workings of a drugs cartel and the age of a suspect in a serious assault of a Guard before a court case.. Sure any defence solicitor could just print out these articles and the comments and claim their client wouldn’t be able to a fair trial..
@Travis: Take a chill pill Colombo.
@Phillip Maguire: Think its Columbo you’re looking for there smart arse..
@Travis: reading between the lines, they seem to be declaring this gang public enemy of the day. This attention carries a heat that associated criminals do not want to be burnt by. It’s not to undermine any potential trials, it’s to undermine their networking ability. Knowing they are been given such special attention makes them less attractive as an ally.
@Travis: goes to show your lack of knowledge of anything law related
@Travis: could be the point, our system seems hellbent on the protection of criminals anyone would think we were some kind of haven, or something.
@Phillip Maguire: think u need one too
If a guard wont press charges, it kinda tells you he does not believe the Garda or the legal system can protect him, what chance has an ordinary citizen that might have to live beside these people have. We have a special criminal, despite objections from the EU. Something is obviously broken
@Dáithí: special criminal court even
@Dáithí: The garda does not press charges, the DPP directs if a person should be charged based on the evidence, if there is insufficient evidence ( despite the gardai knowing the guilt) to secure a conviction, then charges will not be laid , it is expensive to go to trial so the state won’t risk costly defeat or the case being thrown out.
@Honeybee:
Presumption of guilt without evidence is dangerous.
Sure, guilty people get away with things all the time because their crime can’t be proven, but it would be worse if an innocent person was locked away because of an incorrect assumption of guilt with no evidence to back it up.
Time for some style of black ops styled approach to remove these dregs from society.
Ah here, we have not the resources. Remember while all this was going on we had them water protesters to deal with. Operation Misen was in operation. We needed 25 of our best undercover Gardai to spy on the placard holders. Following water protesters who never had any criminal background takes resources. Terrorists they were. Way more dangerous than any trafficking drug gang. How dare they shout ” no way, we wont pay”
These water gangs even had banners. Our government made sure the resources were out to good use. How dare they fight against privatisation of the water works.
@Eddy Ó Súilleabháin: total bull , they were there because of the carry on of certain water protesters and because ordinary people doing the jobs of installing the meters were being attacked ..some of their carry on was shameful and disgraceful.
Wasting time and resources trying to set up Maurice Mc Cabe and this shite going on
The Guards, Ireland law and order force, the police force, law enforcement officer, Irelsnds patriotic protectors..it is long overdue and time to arm all officers once and for all.
Arm all gardai with weapons to protect themselves and their families (on and off duty) and the public from these criminal gangs trying to control the streets of Ireland.
No police force in the western world are without weapons protection.
Dept of Justice, Arm your law enforcement officers once and for all.
@Erik Raftery: So they can lose their sub machine guns on the street? No thanks
Doesn’t this article potentially compromise any future trial?
@Walt Jabsco: how so Walt? They are nameless facts.
@Walt Jabsco: nope
@Greg Blake:
If members of the gang are picked up it’s already ‘out there’ that they’re guilty – all the defence would have to do is demonstrate that this article refers to the case involving their clients (not that difficult given the level of detail) and bingo – they claim that the jury are tainted and they won’t be able to get a free trial. Get a get out of jail free card.
Thats a good bit of journalism to find all that out especially this gang is unknown
@Jason Burns: yeah, it’s called propaganda. It’s fed to the journo by the cops. The crucial part is where a spokesman claims there’s little to no judicial sanction for attacks on Gardai. That’s literally a lie. Crime against them attacks far stiffer sentences than against the public. Killing a Garda attracts a minimum 40 year life sentence. You wouldn’t get half that for a civilian
@Paul Devlin: So much for the 40 years mandatory sentence, the supreme court ruled in the case of Noel Callan ( murder of Sgt Patrick Morrissey 1985 or should I say cold blooded execution) that such prisoners should benefit from 25% remission so the sentence is 30 yrs in effect, Michael Martin McHugh was also released on the same grounds,In the case of the murder of Jerry Mc Cabe, the murderers got out under the terms of the good friday agreement having served terms of ,11,12 and 13 years despite the promise to Ann Mc Cabe that they would serve 40 years, Peter Rogers served 18 yrs for the murder of D/Gda Seamus Quaid, Thomas Eccles and Brian McShane, served 14years for murdering Frank Hand during a post-office raid in Co Meath in August 1984, so you see when capital punishment was abolished and replaced with the mandatory 40 year sentence, the gardai were right to be concerned, they knew that no one would ever serve the time for murdering a garda.
@Honeybee: yeah, they weren’t found guilty of murder but of manslaughter and should have been released after 2 years as per the GFA. Not only do the gardai have substantial protection under the law (or even against the law, see GFA), but they have substantial immunity against the law. Guards convicted of crimes are highly unlikely to be imprisoned. 30 years is still far more than any ordinary murderer will serve
@Paul Devlin: you’ve just been schooled you idiot
@Paul Devlin: Armagh man Martin McHugh and Noel Callan, from Co Monaghan, were convicted by the Special Criminal Court in December 1985 of the murder of Sgt Patrick Morrissey (49) at Rathbrist, Tallanstown, on June 27th, 1985, following an armed robbery at Ardee Labour Exchange. Peter Rogers was found guilty of the capitol murder of D/gda Seamus Quaid and sentenced to hang but sentence was commuted, whether the murderers of gardai were convicted for murder or manslaughter does not lessen their guilt,in many cases , these were actually assassinations of unarmed gardai, I really don’t follow your logic about immunity against the law as no such immunity exists, as to your assertion that gardai who break the law are not imprisoned then you obviously do not follow such trials and if I had my way then life would mean life.
@Honeybee: for instance, a few years ago, an off-duty guard in Cork assaulted a man, kicking most of his teeth in, breaking his jaw, nose & cheekbone. The judge specifically stated that he would have been imprisoned but for the fact that he was a guard and would face a hard time in prison. So he fined him instead. So my point is that those who assault the gardai will receive a heavier sentence whilst gardai who commit crimes will receive substantially lighter sentences or even no sentences.
@Paul Devlin: Paul,I do not know the case you refer too, but if the garda was fined as you say, then he had to be convicted of a criminal offence, that being the case , he would be dismissed from the force, there are very many cases in the courts everyday of serious assaults against gardai and sentences vary from donating to the poor box ( which should if not already be outlawed), to probation acts to prison sentences, this is not a tit for tat, judges rule differently , but this article is about a sinister european gang threatening our democracy and in particular an individual garda simply for doing his job.
Summary execution for these animals
I have an idea. Lets take two products/ services that are popular with a certain percentage of the population, for example drugs and prostitution. Now make them illegal. Lets criminalise the supplier and the end user. What could possibly go wrong.
@Martin: Everyone knows that lots of prostitutes are forced into it. Anyone who uses them has no problem with the fact that they are possibly raping someone. Those men who use prostitutes are perverts and psychopaths.
While the gardai are supposedly a force for good, one must remember the myriad issues raised in the Maurice McCabe tribunal, the penalty points affair, the Ian Bailey investigations – can we really trust them to tell the truth about this so-called “gang”? I say we cannot. I say the actions of the gardai are largely indistinguishable from the criminal organisations they are meant to be in opposition to.
Hell or High Water is on. All else is irrelevant
Pretty sure that I’ve seen groups of these guys going around Penneys buying the cheap lingerie….I am not joking. Creepy.
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