GARDAÍ IN Cork were last night continuing to question a number of people arrested as part of an investigation into the activities of dissident republicans in the area who claimed responsibility for the murder of two convicted drug dealers in the city.
More than 80 gardaí were involved in the operation against members of the Real IRA who have claimed responsibility for the murder of 41-year-old Gerard Staunton on January 20th, 2010, and Kieran O’Flynn on June 7th, 2001.
Armed officers from the special detective unit, backed up by armed members of the regional support unit, raided houses in Ballintemple, Douglas, Knocknaheeny and Richmond Hill in Cork city and Glanmire and Ballygarvan on the outskirts of the city at about 6am.
Five men, in their 20s to late 50s, and a 22-year-old woman were arrested under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. Two were brought to Mayfield Garda station, two to the Bridewell Garda station and one to each of Togher and Gurranebraher Garda stations for questioning.
Gardaí also recovered 320 rounds of 9mm ammunition for an automatic weapon in their raid on the house in Ballygarvan, while they also seized computers, phones and printers, all of which will be sent for forensic examination by Garda technical experts.
According to a Garda spokesman, the raids were intelligence-led and came as part of a lengthy operation into the activities of dissident republicans who have claimed responsibility for the killing of both Staunton and O’Flynn as well as threats to other drug dealers in Cork.
Staunton was shot dead by a gunman armed with a sawn-off shotgun as he was about to get into his car with his partner and her two children outside their rented home at Westlawn, off Sarsfield Road, on Cork’s southside on January 20th, 2010.
The gunman made his getaway in a red 92 C-registered Toyota Liteace van which was later found burned out in a field at Castlewhite in Waterfall some four miles from the shooting.
Gardaí later traced the van to Carrigaline where it was bought 24 hours before the shooting.
Less than a week later, the Real IRA issued a statement through the 32 County Sovereignty Movement in which it claimed responsibility for Staunton’s murder, saying that it had issued a warning to other drug dealers in the city to desist from their activities.
Later, in February 2010, the Real IRA distributed leaflets in a number of pubs on Cork’s northside in which it again warned it was targeting drug dealers, naming a man who had been convicted of possessing heroin for sale or supply but received a suspended sentence.
The group again claimed responsibility for the murder of Staunton as well as for the shooting of another man, Pat Jones (36), who was left paralysed after being shot through the window of a house in Knocknaheeny in September 28th, 2008.
Last November, the Real IRA issued a statement to the Irish News in Belfast in which, in addition to reiterating its claim of responsibility for the shooting of Staunton, also claimed responsibility for the shooting dead of convicted drug dealer O’Flynn (39) on June 7th, 2001.
O’Flynn died after a gunman fired four shots through the door of his home at Thorndale in Dublin Hill.
One of the six suspects arrested yesterday, a 57-year-old man from Knocknaheeny who was being questioned by gardaí, was released without charge at about 6pm. A file will be prepared for the DPP.