Gardaí investigating the murder last December of leading drug dealer Martin "Marlo" Hyland believe three of his closest gang members conspired to kill him, and have since taken over his lucrative drugs business, The Irish Times has learned.
Detectives believe two of the men carried out the killing while the third man helped to organise it and is now effectively the new leader of Hyland's gang.
The 31-year-old, who is being described as the "new kid on the block", was arrested a number of years ago after gardaí foiled an attempt by him to attack another Finglas criminal.
Gardaí have also identified a fourth person who they believe is working with the new gang leader in laundering money through a north Dublin-based security company.
It is suspected this company was being used from December 2005 to launder drug money owned by the criminal who has now taken over Hyland's gang.
Funds being moved through this company have been studied carefully by the Criminal Assets Bureau and members of the Organised Crime Unit under Operation Oak. The investigation was established before Hyland's death in an attempt to bring down his gang, which gardaí believe is the biggest drugs cartel in the country. A sum of money has been confiscated from the man behind the security company. He is one of a number of people arrested in recent weeks for questioning about Hyland's murder.
Gardaí are also satisfied that they know how information was supplied to Hyland's killers on his whereabouts on the morning he was killed. Apprentice plumber Anthony Campbell (20) who was working in the house at Scribblestown Park, Finglas, was also killed because he was a potential eyewitness.
The investigation team also believes a young car thief from Finglas stole the getaway car used in the Hyland (39) shooting. They have firm evidence which they believe proves this man also stole the car used in the shooting dead in Swords, Co Dublin, last November of Latvian mother-of-two Baiba Saulite.
This man's involvement in sourcing the cars used in both attacks underlines the Garda's long-held view that Hyland's gang was centrally involved in carrying out the contract killing of the 28-year-old Ms Saulite.
Senior Garda sources have told The Irish Times that while the men who carried out the Hyland killing have yet to be questioned, the investigating team is satisfied with progress made to date.
One of the suspects is a
40-year-old with a Finglas address who has served a lengthy prison sentence after he was caught with a multi-million pound cannabis haul. He was out on bail at the time of Hyland's killing on serious drugs charges, which he still faces. The second man is also a well-known drug dealer from Finglas in his early 40s. He is also on bail on serious drugs charges.
The pair are also suspected of involvement in three other gangland style killings last year, including that of Ms Saulite.
On November 23rd, 2006, Drogheda man Paul Reay (26) was shot dead. He was caught last August with cocaine valued at €400,000, owned by Hyland, who feared Reay was about to turn informer.
Drug dealer Paddy Harte (42) was gunned down on May 29th in Edenmore, Raheny, after he flooded Finglas with heroin, bringing down street prices and angering Hyland.
Gardaí have so far arrested five people for questioning in relation to the killing , but they described two arrests last Thursday as "by far the most significant".
One of the men arrested is a 40-year-old foreign national with an address in Finglas. Detectives believe that while the 40-year-old was not directly involved, he has vital information about the murders.
The second man arrested is the car thief who supplied the vehicles used in the Hyland murder and that of Ms Saulite. He will be prosecuted at a later date on charges relating to car theft.
