Britain’s National Crime Agency assisting Garda inquiry into body found in Donegal

Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is now assisting the Garda as it investigates the killing of a man whose remains were taken from the sea off Co Donegal in the early hours of Monday morning.

The man, believed to be Robert Wilkin from Northern Ireland, vanished the weekend before last while socialising in the region around Killybegs and Sliabh Liag in Donegal.

Gardaí believe he was assaulted and died during that attack before his remains were dumped in the sea off the Sliabh Liag cliffs. Detectives are working on a definite line of inquiry, including identifying chief suspects and gathering what they believe is crucial evidence.

However, the identification of the remains taken from the sea has become protracted because Mr Wilkin, whose remains gardaí believe they have recovered, led a transient lifestyle and had very few living relatives. As a man of the same name and approximate age – and believed to be the same person – was arrested by the NCA two years ago, that agency is now assisting with the Garda investigation.

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In reply to queries, the NCA told The Irish Times a man named Robert Wilkin was arrested by its officers in August 2021, after his lorry was stopped at Coquelles with cocaine and heroin valued at €6.65 million inside the truck. “He was charged, bailed, and was due to stand trial in October,” it said.

The NCA added it was now aware the remains of a man of the same name had been discovered in Donegal this week and the NCA was “working with the Irish police to ascertain whether it is the same person”.

In August 2021, Mr Wilkin (then 64), who was originally from Co Tyrone, was driving a Polish-registered truck when he was stopped at the Coquelles Channel Tunnel terminal near Calais. Border Force agents discovered tape-wrapped packages of drugs hidden in two pallets of chocolates which were destined for a location in Maidstone, Kent. In total, 63kg of heroin and 32kg of cocaine were seized.

Mr Wilkin, with an address at Feenan Highway, Tilbury in Essex, at the time was subsequently charged with attempting to import class A drugs and was on bail pending trial when a man of the same name – and believed to be the same person – vanished in Co Donegal the weekend before last.

He was in a pub in Dunkineely, about 10km from Killybegs, last Saturday week, June 24th, and appears to have vanished in the region over the same weekend. Gardaí suspect he was attacked by people he had become acquainted with, suffering fatal injuries, before his remains thrown into the sea off the Slieve League cliffs.

At the start of last week gardaí received a report that a man – believed to be in his 60s and from Northern Ireland – had suffered fatal injuries in an attack and his remains disposed of. An investigation into those claims was commenced, resulting in Slieve League, a popular beauty spot, being sealed off for extensive searching after a bloodied blanket was found in the area.

As the searching was continuing, a 4X4 vehicle was seized by gardaí for forensic examination and a property in Killybegs was also sealed off and examined. That phase of the inquiry last week also resulted in the arrest of the man in his 30s and woman in her 20s, though both were later released without charge.

The remains were discovered off Slieve League early on Monday morning and while a postmortem was conducted at Letterkenny University Hospital, gardaí have not released the results “for operational reasons”. However, it is understood the man had suffered injuries consistent with being assaulted.

While DNA testing was awaited to confirm the identity of the remains, gardaí are working on the theory the dead man is named Robert Wilkin and is the same person charged over the drugs find two years ago.

“An incident room has been established at Ballyshannon Garda station under the direction of a senior investigating officer,” Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, said in a brief statement.

The Garda investigation team have appealed to anyone in the vicinity of Slieve League and Killybegs between the afternoon of Saturday, June 24th, and evening of Sunday, June 25th, and “who observed any activity which drew their attention” to come forward. Detectives have made very significant progress in the case, are following a definite line of inquiry and are expected to make more progress very quickly.