INTIMIDATION | 

Associates of gangster Liam Byrne issue death threats and cash demands to innocent families

Death threats and demands for cash central to campaign

Yesterday at 07:09

Associates of senior Kinahan cartel gangster Liam Byrne are waging a terrifying campaign of intimidation against innocent Dublin families, Sunday World can reveal.

It is understood the assault of an innocent woman in her 20s at a house party in south Dublin last month is at the centre of a campaign of death threats and cash demands.

The woman, who has no involvement in crime, suffered severe facial injuries and had to be taken to hospital after a canister of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, was thrown at her during the party.

Associates of three criminals – Liam Roe, Paul Rice and a debt collector who cannot be named for legal reasons – are understood to be involved in the campaign against the innocent families of two young men they blame for the assault on the young woman.

The Dublin-based gangsters have close connections to Kinahan cartel gang boss Liam Byrne, who was arrested last weekend in Mallorca.​

Their campaign includes cash demands of up to €60,000 as well as death threats and threats to “burn down” the homes and vehicles of the innocent families of the young men.

Gangland criminals have also called to the homes of family members, with some forced to flee in fear after the criminals threatened to “chop up” one of the young men involved.

A source said: “After the arrest of Liam Byrne last weekend, there has been a narrative that the Kinahan cartel are under severe pressure.

“But the behaviour of these yobs, who all would have had previously very strong links to the cartel, shows that they are very active and very cash-hungry.

Who is Liam Byrne?

“The ordeal that these families have been put through cannot be underestimated. No one wants associates of these individuals landing on your door or calling you on the phone.”

A 19-year-old from the Rialto area of Dublin’s south inner city and his friend, who is from the Bluebell area, are understood to be blamed by the criminals for the assault on the young woman. Both have significant social media profiles.

None of the incidents have been reported to gardaí, including the assault.

Roe (40), whose associates are suspected of being heavily involved in the campaign, is a first cousin of Liam Byrne, who is facing a hefty sentence in the UK after he is extradited from Spain, which is expected to be later this year.

‘The behaviour of these yobs, who all would have had previously very strong links to the cartel, shows they are very active and very cash-hungry’

Roe was present when Byrne’s brother, David, was shot dead during the Hutch gang’s raid on the Regency Hotel in Dublin in February 2016 during a boxing weigh-in.

Roe is the last known member of the Byrne organised crime gang understood to be still in Dublin.

Associates of Rice (53) are also believed to be involved in the intimidation campaign.

Tallaght-based Roe is under severe pressure from his own associates in the cartel over a “massive amount of money owed” to the hierarchy of the gang, who are believed to be living in Iran to avoid sanctions imposed on them by the US government.

A third veteran criminal is linked to the Crumlin-based debt collector with long-standing connections to the Kinahan cartel.

He cannot be named as he is facing serious charges for similar types of offences.

A source said: “There is no information to suggest that the young lady who got hit with that laughing gas cylinder condones this activity [intimidation] in any way.”