Man due in court over planned murder in relation to Coolock gang feud

Gardaí received intelligence a faction planned to shoot dead a rival criminal

The man due before the courts on Monday is the second person to be charged in relation to the operation. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

Gardaí have charged a man in relation to the ongoing feud in Coolock, north Dublin which has claimed five lives this year.

The 46-year-old was allegedly stopped with a handgun as he was on his way to carry out an attack as part of the feud over drugs territory in the area on September 14th last.

Gardaí from the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Security and Intelligence Section had received intelligence one of the factions in the feud was planning on shooting dead a rival criminal.

A large-scale operation was launched by armed members and two cars were stopped in the Artane area of north Dublin. Three men aged between 20 and 50 were arrested and a handgun was located.

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The man due before the courts on Monday is the second person to be charged in relation to the operation.

Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll of Special Crime Operations said at the time of the arrests he had "no doubt that this operation has prevented a firearm being used to take life and enabled the Garda Síochána to keep people safe".

Speaking on RTÉ earlier on Sunday, Mr O'Driscoll said the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau had intervened 73 times in the last four years to stop gangland murders.

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher is Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times