Gardaí believe murder is “inevitable” if tensions in a northwest Dublin gang feud, which has been linked to two recent gun attacks, continue to mount.
Shots were fired at a house believed to be linked to an associate of one of the feuding gangs in Finglas at 11pm on Tuesday. Just over two hours later shots were fired at a house on Sheephill Avenue in Corduff.
The incidents, which did not result in any injuries, are the latest in a series of attacks involving the feuding criminals in the Blanchardstown area.
In another recent incident shots were fired at a man outside Riversdale Community College in Corduff as he waited for a relative to finish school.
The feud began when a gang from the area split into two family-based factions, who began fighting over the local drugs trade. Hostilities have been simmering for a number of years and recently reignited following the breakdown of an unofficial ceasefire between the groups.
This week’s attacks do not appear to be murder attempts, gardaí say, but a senior source said fatalities are “inevitable” if the tensions continue.
“It will escalate until someone manages to hit their target or someone is hit by accident. Then it will go from there until the bodies pile up.”
Access to weapons
Many of the recent incidents revolve around a mid-level, Finglas-based drug dealer who is contracted by the Kinahan organised crime group to sell their product in the area. The man is suspected, along with several others, of involvement in the murder of Zackary Parker in Finglas in January.
He has aligned himself with one faction in the Corduff feud and has been the target of at least one murder attempt.
Gardaí have issued an information message to the man, a notice that they have information about a threat on his life and that he should take precautions. He has also been the target of at least one raid by detectives investigating his involvement in organised crime.
The shooting incident in Finglas on Tuesday was the third time he has been targeted. Another property linked to him was the subject of a gun attack last Saturday and another house linked to the man was shot at last year.
There have been several exchanges of gunfire in Corduff since the start of the year and gardaí believe both factions have access to a large number of weapons at short notice.
However, local officers are struggling to make inroads on their investigations with many potential witnesses in fear of the gangs and refusing to co-operate with gardaí. Members of the Armed Support Unit have been carrying out visible patrols in Corduff and nearby areas in an effort to reassure the public.
