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Kinahan enforcer who plotted to kill rival will be back on streets in weeks

The 37-year-old Dubliner was jailed in March,2020 for conspiracy to murder Gary Hanley

Today at 10:42

A Kinahan cartel henchman is to be freed from prison in two weeks time, we can reveal.

Cartel enforcer Dean Howe will be back on the streets after serving four and a half years of a six year sentence at Mountjoy Prison.

The father of three received 25pc remission in accordance with the prison rules for good behaviour.

The 37-year-old Dubliner was jailed in March,2020 for conspiracy to murder Gary Hanley, a known associate of the Monk, Gerry Hutch and his family in 2017.

He pleaded guilty after being caught on secret Garda recordings helping to plan the hit.

Howe carried out surveillance on Hanley and tracked his movements before passing on the information to a separate team of would-be assasins which included known hitman Alan and Luke Wilson.

Both were jailed for 11 and 6 years respectively for also conspiring to murder and possession of firearms as part of the foiled hit.

Howe fled the country for two years to Britain when he discovered the plot was rumbled and he could be charged. He was then subsequently arrested on his return to Ireland.

During his trial the Special Criminal court heard that he was a Kinahan crime cartel enforcer, who received his orders from the top and passed them down.

He had also previously been arrested over the shooting of notorious Dublin gangster Martin ” the Viper” Foley on the orders of Christy Kinahan in a row over money but was never charged.

Foley survived the hit but never made a complaint to the police. He later made his peace with the Kinahans.

Gardai say Howe has been involved with the Kinahans and Crumlin crime boss Fat Freddie Thompson since he was a teenager, and is well up the ranks of the cartel.

A source said: ” He is near the top of the tree and would know most things going on. We hope he has learned his lesson and stays away from the Kinahans because they are bad news.”

A prison source; ” Dean Howe is one of the biggest names of the Kinahan lads we had in here. Everyone inside knew he was one of the bosses.

” He is a man who went under the radar before he was jailed for this crime, and had rarely been in custody before this.

“He has done his time and will be freed in two weeks. Hopefully he will keep his nose clean and we won’t see him in here again.”

The Irish Prison Service said it does not comment on individual prisoners.