GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the murder of a suspected drugs trafficker in a gangland shooting in Dublin last week have arrested seven people, three of whom were trying to catch the ferry to Britain when gardaí moved in. Four, one female and three males, were released without charge last night.
The seven were being questioned about the shooting dead of Dubliner John Carroll (33) in Grumpy Jack’s pub in the south inner city last Wednesday night. The motorbike used in the attack has been found and the chief suspect for the murder, a Crumlin man, is among those arrested.
Gardaí believe men close to Carroll were monitoring him and informing the gunman as to his whereabouts on the night. All seven arrests took place across the city over the weekend in five Garda operations.
Gardaí believe the murder is drug-related and are trying to establish if Carroll was killed by criminals for whom he worked. Some of those arrested owed Carroll money for drugs.
Another man who gardaí believe helped to facilitate the murder had fallen out with the dead man over a personal matter.
Carroll was known to gardaí for his links to the drugs trade. He was a target of the Garda National Drugs Unit for a number of years.
Gardaí believe he was centrally involved in organising drug smuggling routes from the UK and Europe for gangs operating in Ireland. He worked for a number of Dublin drug gangs, but was not affiliated to any particular gang.
The father of three, originally from Charlemont Street in Dublin’s south inner city, was shot dead as he was drinking with friends at about 9.30pm. Two men pulled up on a motorbike outside the pub with the pillion passenger entering the premises and firing a number of shots from a handgun wounding Carroll in the stomach, hip, buttocks and arm. He was expected to survive but suffered cardiac arrest during emergency surgery at St James’s Hospital.
The killer, who wore a dark helmet with its visor pulled down, escaped on the back of the motorbike. Gardaí believe both men were in contact by phone with people who knew Carroll’s movements as he moved from pub to pub on the night. Phone records will be checked to see who rang whom before the attack.
The first of the weekend’s arrests took place in Crumlin on Friday night. A woman in her 30s was detained and gardaí found the motorbike believed to have been used in the attack.
Three men in their 20s were arrested on Friday at Dublin Port as they were about to board a ferry to Britain. Gardaí believe they were involved in the killing and that they were trying to escape a Finglas gang leader for whom John Carroll smuggled drugs. One of them lives at the house where the motorbike was found.
Late on Friday night the chief suspect and a woman, both in their 20s, were arrested in Drimnagh. On Saturday a man in his 20s was arrested in Crumlin. Gardaí believe he may have helped source the motorbike. Those arrested are being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.