The crime partner of slain Dublin hood Michael ‘Mickey’ Devoy tearfully told gardai that he is fleeing the country because he fears he is going to be whacked.
The criminal had been told by gardai that his life was under threat over his links to Devoy, who was gunned down in a gangland feud.
Mickey Devoy was blamed for a failed murder bid on drug dealer Greg Lynch last October and a hitman from Dundalk took up a contract to murder Devoy, his partner and the man’s brother.
The under-threat man, who is not regarded as a serious player in gangland, walked into Store Street Garda station in Dublin city centre and asked to speak to detectives.
The hood, from Ballymun on the city’s northside, broke down as he told startled officers that he knew he would be murdered if he did not immediately leave the country.
He knows he is a ‘dead man walking’ and is understood to have taken a flight to the UK. It is understood that his brother also left with him. Before he left he refused to make a statement outlining his fears and would not even take up the offer of personal security advice.
Gardai had been fearful that he would be the next victim of the Lynch mob and they believe that tensions will reduce considerably now that he has left Ireland.
He was not present when Devoy was buried last Wednesday as most of Devoy’s criminal cronies shunned the funeral.
There was a massive garda presence at the church in Finglas and at Glasnevin cemetery, but the turnout was very low and, aside from one mourner trying to attack press photographers, it passed off without incident.
The prime suspect in the murder of 42-year-old Devoy is believed to have been paid €20,000 for the murder and the same amount is believed to be on the table for the heads of the dead man’s pal and his brother.
Associates of Christy Kinahan and drug dealer Greg Lynch have put up the money in revenge for Devoy trying to murder the 28-year-old last October.
Devoy tried to get rid of Lynch because he was expanding his territory from Dublin’s south-inner city to Coolock and Ballymun, where Devoy operated.
However the shooter failed to finish off Lynch and he survived after losing half his jaw. It was then a case of when, not if, Devoy would be murdered. Underworld justice finally caught up with him 13 days ago when he was shot three times in the head and dumped by the side of the road near Tallaght.
He narrowly escaped two murder bids in the fortnight before he was shot dead and the man who took out the contract on him was arrested close to Devoy’s house in Ballymun.
He is believed to have been staking him out and three days later a sophisticated bomb was left under Devoy’s car.
Last week we revealed that the hitman who shot Devoy was one of his brother’s closest pals.
The 40-year-old suspected triggerman was a close pal of Devoy’s brother Derek ‘Bottler’ Devoy.
The pair were involved with a Finglas-based mob led by Martin ‘Marlo’ Hyland and later Eamon ‘the Don’ Dunne. Both worked as enforcers for the gang and they were “inseparable” for years, according to sources.
However, the former Provo has now distanced himself from the gangs and is operating as a ‘freelance” hitman.
Gardai believe that he is still in the country although several searches have so far failed to locate him.
When Bottler Devoy heard the news that his former friend had been responsible for killing his beloved brother he smashed up his cell in Mountjoy prison, where the 30-year-old is serving a seven- year sentence for armed robbery.
Gardai fear that associates of the Devoys will attempt to hit back against the Lynch mob.
Michael Devoy was a veteran criminal with more than 70 convictions to his name.
He was the chief suspect in the murder of 30 year-old Mark Byrne in May 2005. Byrne had just been released from Mountjoy prison and walked out of a shop after buying phone credit when a gunman shot him dead. The murder was later re-created on RTE drama Love/Hate.
The Ballymun man was arrested over the murder and gardai were hopeful there was enough evidence to charge him, but the DPP disagreed. He associated with major criminals from Finglas and Ballymun who are very unhappy with his murder.
Greg Lynch is the leader of a 60-strong drugs gang that is responsible for armed robberies and tiger kidnappings.
He is one of the main targets of the new anti-gang unit based at Kevin Street Garda Station. Gardai class him as one of the city’s biggest drug distributors.
