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CAGED THUG

Kinahan cartel hitman banged up for 22 years once tried to kill innocent taxi driver on THREE separate occasions

• Published: 8:00, 8 Oct 2023
• Updated: 9:01, 8 Oct 2023

KINAHAN cartel hitman Michael Carroll once tried to kill an innocent taxi driver on THREE separate occasions, we can reveal.

The thug, 43, was banged up for 22 years on Monday for botched hits on Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch’s brother John and Edward Staunton.

Carroll used two firearms during an attempt to kill John at his home in Drumalee Avenue, north Dublin, on September 2, 2016.

And he ran Staunton down with a car in central Dublin on March 26, 2017 — before shooting him twice as he lay injured on the ground.

Now as Carroll begins his sentence, we can reveal details of his attempts to claim another man’s life.

In the months before the contract killer tried to whack the Monk’s brother, investigators believe he tried to stab a taxi driver in the Thomas Street area of the capital.

nvestigators suspect the innocent man was targeted simply because he was a pal of former boxer Anthony ‘Scarface’ Fitzgerald, who is a close friend of the Hutch family.

And when the cabbie managed to escape, Carroll then hatched a plan with other cartel gang members to shoot the driver.

But his plans were foiled when detectives from Kevin Street Garda Station were made aware of the threat and moved the target out of the area.

The taxi driver was one of dozens of people whose lives were saved by the Gardai during the height of the Kinahan and Hutch feud in 2016.

One investigator told us: “The only reason Carroll and his associates wanted to kill that man was because of a friendship he had with a friend of the Hutch family.

“The fact that Carroll and his associates tried to stab him and also shoot him shows just how determined they were.

“Gardai were extremely concerned for this man’s safety after the ­stabbing and that’s why he was moved.

“At the time of the feud, the Kinahan organisation was determined to kill anyone even connected to friends of the Hutch family.”

Following the failed attempts on the taxi man’s life, Carroll continued his association with Daniel Kinahan’s narco-terrorist gang.

Investigators believe the hitman was ordered to target John Hutch – who died after an accident at his house in 2019 – and Edward Staunton because of the drug debts he owed to the Kinahan cartel

‘TAKING ORDERS’

And they suspect he was taking orders from senior cartel figures Fat Freddie Thompson, Liam Brannigan, Liam Byrne and Sean McGovern.

We also understand he was a ­target for the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau after they compiled a list of Kinahan assassins. But his decision to join the gang came back to haunt him last Monday when he became the latest cartel member to be jailed.

The Special Criminal Court also heard last week how he had wanted to “ingratiate himself” with the Kinahan-Byrne gang in Dublin.

One investigator who encountered Carroll told us: “Carroll wasn’t the typical contract killer and was never aggressive with Gardai.

“He would have been robbing ­petrol stations and holding drugs but he was never a major player. He must have been under pressure to try and kill three people but he was still determined to proceed with it.

“Even when he failed to kill John Hutch he was still determined to go out months later and shoot Edward.”

‘POSED NO THREAT’

Ex-Garda Assistant Commissioner Michael O’Sullivan told how the ­cartel were targeting people who “posed no threat”.

He added: “Individuals like Michael Carroll were targeting ­people simply because they could.

“They did not perceive people like John Hutch, Noel Duggan or Noel Kirwan as a threat.

“It wasn’t a case of targeting ­people who they thought would ­target them — they were prepared to kill anyone even remotely ­connected to the Hutch family.

“There was an arrogance within the Kinahan Organised Crime Group because they believed they had so much power.”

After Carroll was sentenced, ex-Dublin Lord Mayor Nial Ring described John as a ­completely innocent man.

‘RUTHLESS CRIMINAL’

He said: “John Hutch was going about his daily business when this ruthless criminal tried to kill him in front of his family and neighbours. It’s a miracle John or any other innocent person wasn’t killed that day in this reckless attack.

“The only reason they wanted to kill John was because of his ­surname. This wasn’t a feud — this was an onslaught from a criminal organisation.

“John was a good family man and well respected in his community and people were sickened by this shocking attempt to kill him.

“I have spoken with John’s wife Vera and all she and her family want to do is get on with their lives.”

The probe into Carroll’s crimes for the Kinahans was run by teams of detectives from the Gardai’s North Central Division.

Praising them, Det Supt Colm Murphy said: “This case illustrates the dedication, professionalism and resilience shown over a seven-year investigation that resulted in a successful prosecution and conviction.

“I would also wish to thank and praise the local inner city Dublin community who supported the ­Gardai in their endeavours.”

Speaking exclusively to The Irish Sun after Carroll received his sentence, John Hutch’s wife Vera said: “We’re delighted with what he got. We’ll never forget what he done.”