Leader of gang `made millions' in just 2 years

Details of the drug-smuggling gang which was broken up by the Garda investigation into the Guerin murder emerged during Brian…

Details of the drug-smuggling gang which was broken up by the Garda investigation into the Guerin murder emerged during Brian Meehan's trial.

The only other figure convicted of the murder is Paul Ward. He was one of the gang's helpers and assisted in providing vehicles for the murder and disposing of the motorbike used by the assassins. He was otherwise a small-time criminal who came to work for the gang through family connections.

The gang leader is in custody abroad. In his late 40s, he amassed a personal fortune running into millions of pounds in just over two years, from 1994 to 1996. He had a home with land in the country and frequently holidayed abroad, bringing large parties to resorts in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. He has convictions for robbery.

John Traynor was Veronica Guerin's contact with the Dublin crime world. He was involved in a wide variety of criminal endeavours, from robbery to drugs, embezzlement and prostitution. He was the gang leader's number two and his main adviser. He also had contacts with the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). He is believed to be in Spain.

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Brian Meehan, convicted yesterday, was a close associate of the gang leader and was described as an "enforcement agent" for the gang, a man who frequently threatened and attacked other people. His main job was to oversee the distribution of the gang's bulk cannabis operation from a lock-up warehouse in Dublin.

Eugene Holland was named as Meehan's co-enforcer in the gang. He, too, oversaw the distribution of cannabis from the lock-up and was convicted of possessing cannabis. A 20-year sentence imposed by the Special Criminal Court was reduced last year to 12 years by the Court of Criminal Appeal.

Charles Bowden, the first of the State's "accomplice witnesses", turned State's evidence against his former associates. He is now serving six years for firearms and drugs offences. He is in protective custody in Arbour Hill Prison. His wife, Juliet, who also gave evidence against the gang, is under Garda protection.

Bowden, a former soldier, prepared guns for the gang and also helped distribute cannabis and collect cash from buyers.

Russell Warren was, effectively, the gang's accountant and "bag man", acting as a cash courier between the gang and its drug suppliers in the Netherlands. The court heard he made up to two trips there each week carrying between £200,000 and £400,000 each time. He too agreed to turn State's evidence, and admitted acting as scout for the hit squad on the day of the murder. He is serving a five-year term for possession of drugs and money laundering.

Another "enforcer" who is a close friend of Meehan's helped with the drugs distribution but was a relatively minor figure in the gang, although he joined in all its social occasions. He is believed to have fled to Spain and was last seen in Traynor's company.