Cops believe to have foiled Mr Big bid to kill Alan Ryan's brother.
GARDAI may have foiled an assassination attempt on one of Alan Ryan’s brothers.
Sources said the Dublin criminal known as ‘Mr Big’ was believed to have been on his way to carry out a hit last month when gardai attempted to stop him in a car.
Gardai recognised Mr Big and went to pull him over. However, he sped off and managed to get away.
Gardai suspect there was a weapon in the car and he may have been on the way to carry out a hit attempt on Ryan.
“The fact he sped off shows he had something to hide,” said a source.
Mr Big is suspected of ordering the hit on Alan Ryan in September 2012 after the Real IRA leader demanded protection money from his gang.
He has since targeted other relatives and associates of Ryan, including Daragh Evans and Derek Nolan.
Mr Big pulled a gun on Evans in Dolphin’s Barn in March last year. Evans was not injured as no shots were fired, but he fled Dublin for a time after the incident.
Both Evans and Vinny Ryan were acquitted of possession of an AKM assault rifle and Webley-make revolver MkV1 on the day drugs kingpin Micka Kelly was shot dead in Dublin in 2011.
Meanwhile, lower-level criminals in Mr Big’s network are at loggerheads with each other following two gun attacks.
A drug dealer from Artane shot up the north Dublin home of a 25-year-old armed robber and drug dealer at Christmas time.
Gardai subsequently received intelligence that there was a threat on the life of the Artane man as a result of the attack.
Gardai arrested two young thugs from the north inner city who were watching the dealer’s home around two months ago.
The men were on a motorcycle and were eventually arrested by gardai. It is believed they may have dumped a firearm before they were apprehended.
In recent weeks the family home of the drug dealer was shot at by the armed robber in a revenge attack.
“There is serious tension with all this at the moment,” said a source.
“The people involved have been warned their lives are in danger.”
The 25-year-old armed robber is the prime suspect in carrying out a cash-in-transit robbery in Santry on April 23.
They fled the scene on foot with a cash box before speeding away in a car. However, gardai tracked down the cash box which had been fitted with a GPS system which led them to its location. All the cash was recovered.
Gardai suspect the second man involved in the armed robbery is a 20-year-old from Artane who has close connection with a senior member of Mr Big’s crew originally from the Coolock area but now living in Meath.
The Coolock man’s brother was caught with almost €2m worth of cannabis and ecstasy in north county Dublin in 2013.
Mr Big was on his way to the house where the drugs were, but avoided arrest as gardai had moved in before he arrived.
Both sides involved in the feud are being supplied with drugs from Mr Big’s crime gang.
“These would be the lower echelons of that crime network, but just because they’re being supplied by the same gang doesn’t mean they can’t be at odds with each other,” said a source.
The 25-year-old armed robber has links to two criminal brothers from the Kilmore area who are extremely close to Mr Big.
“There are a lot of connections between the two feuding sides but Mr Big seems happy enough to leave them at it. He hasn’t shown any sign of trying to resolve the dispute
