EXCLUSIVE | 

Kinahan cartel set to deliver huge drugs haul to South East Antrim UDA

The organised crime mob is said to have signed off on a shipment of Class A narcotics running to hundreds of thousands of pounds

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South East Antrim UDA has negotiated a huge drugs consignment with the Kinahan Cartel.

The organised crime mob is said to have signed off on a shipment of Class A narcotics running to hundreds of thousands of pounds and, according to sources, it is expected to be delivered in the coming weeks.

There is speculation it may be South East Antrim’s (SEA) “last role of the dice’’ as it struggles to keep a grip on the drugs trade in Carrickfergus where they once had an iron hold on drug running.

Ousted Brigadier Gary Fisher built a drug-dealing empire making SEA one of the most successful organised crime gangs in the North.

But in the face of increased competition from outside gangs and the attentions of the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF), their control and dominance collapsed.

Fisher came under intense pressure and the one-time fitness fanatic descended into bad health. It culminated in him collapsing with a heart attack at his Greenisland home earlier this year.

The mobster spent a number of days in intensive care before discharging himself. He was subsequently stood down and been replaced.

Criminal sources in the town have told the Sunday World the leadership is keen to re-establish the organisation as the main players in the town.

They have long had contacts with the Kinahan Cartel but this latest shipment is said to be their most significant piece of business.

And it comes with a high degree of risk. With the Kinahans routinely demanding payment up front, SEA face a huge financial setback should the shipment be intercepted by the PCTF.

The crime-busting unit has scored a number of high-profile successes in recent years, particularly against the SEA and East Belfast UVF.

Despite pressure on the international stage, the Kinahans remain top of the heap when it comes to drugs and have become increasingly influential here.

It is thought they are now the main traffickers of cocaine across Northern Ireland.

There has been some disquiet in the ranks at the UDA doing business with a southern crime gang, but the leadership is determined to put SEA back at the top of the tree.

And that is despite growing unrest about their involvement in the drug trade, with some senior figures advocating they get out.

The Sunday World understands the Kinahan shipment is to be brought in through Belfast docks, where the PCTF has enjoyed considerable success in intercepting consignments.