Posted by Thursday 11 July 2019
Criminal linked to gang feud walks free from court
1A 23-year-old criminal who is considered one of the main protagonists in the Drogheda feud walked free from court after being cleared of two armed robbery charges.
The suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was cleared by a jury at around lunchtime yesterday after a short trial.
“This is a not a great result for gardaí – if this individual had been convicted and given a significant jail sentence, it would have made it easier to police the Drogheda feud,” a senior source said.
“But that is not the case unfortunately, which means that he will continue to be regularly monitored by armed gardaí,” the source added.
The gangster was only released from jail in February when he was also cleared of serious charges by a jury in Dublin’s Central Criminal Court.
Gardaí suspect he has carried out a number of petrol bomb attacks and he has been arrested by gardaí investigating the shooting of Brendan Maguire, the older brother of gang boss Owen, in February just days after the 23-year-old was released from jail.
Brendan Maguire (40) spent a number of weeks being treated in hospital for the injuries he suffered in the attack at the M1 Retail Park in Drogheda.
The cleared criminal is considered the “right-hand man” of the gang boss who is the leader of the anti-Maguire faction in the Drogheda feud.
His 24-year-old close friend survived a botched assassination last month in the Elmwood Close estate in Drogheda, in which he suffered superficial wounds to his chin and shoulder.
This happened less than a month after he was the target of a shooting in Donaghmede, north Dublin.
While the criminal who walked free yesterday is on bail for separate charges and currently living in Drogheda, his older friend has been based in Dublin in recent times because of the threat to his life.
Sources say the 23-year-old criminal has been “driving a lot of the hatred” in the feud.
Irish Independent
How he could walk free on two occasions is remarkable to say the least, Drogheda is under siege, Evidence must have being weak?
Wednesday 10 July 2019
Gardai probe petrol bomb attack on Drogheda home
GARDAI are investigating the latest petrol bomb attack in Drogheda after a house was targeted early this morning.
A man was lucky to escape unharmed after the property was targeted in the Laurence Drive area of the Co Louth town.
It is the latest serious incident in Drogheda and gardai are attempting to establish if it is linked to the ongoing feud in the area.
A male, aged in his early 40s, was in the house at the time but was uninjured while a small amount of damage was caused to the front of the premises.
Gardai in Drogheda are investigating this morning’s incident and no arrests have yet been made.
A garda spokeswoman said: “Gardaí are investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred at a premises in the Laurence Drive area of Drogheda between the hours of 4am and 9am this morning July 9, 2019.
“The sole occupant at the time (male in his early 40s) wasn’t injured and there was a small amount of damage to the front of the premises.
“No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing,” the spokeswoman added.
There have been around 80 violent incidents including petrol bombings, shootings and assaults in the town in recent months which are mainly linked to the ongoing feud in the town.
Last week a 16-year-old was lucky to escape unharmed
s firebombed in the Rathmullen Park area of Drogheda.
Who Watches the Watchers? 