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EARLIER THIS MONTH, a man stood outside his car in Corduff, west Dublin, and waited for his little brother to leave school so he could drive him home.
A man ran towards the intended victim holding a gun and fired at least four shots in his direction – each of them missing.
Gardaí have described the man’s survival as miraculous but what they now know is that a bubbling feud on the periphery of west Dublin is boiling over – random retaliations are occurring and both side are targeting innocent family members in assaults and vandalism incidents.
The reason behind this latest feud is a familiar story – it’s about drugs, territory and the right to deal in certain areas.
While the shooting outside a school shocked both locals and those across the country, there were more shocking incidents to follow.
Yesterday morning saw one of the feud’s most brazen attacks.
A man had entered Finglas Garda Station to drop off clothes for someone who had been arrested. As he left, he was set upon by a group of men, one of whom sliced the victim’s neck.
The man managed to make his way back to the garda station and an ambulance was called. He lost a lot of blood in the incident. Gardaí are treating the incident as a case of attempted murder.
Officers investigating the current wave of crime in the area believe that criminals linked to the infamous Westies gang are in a drug turf war with associates of a gang led by a young criminal known for flaunting his wealth on social media, something which has earned him the name of Mr Flashy in both gangland and garda circles.
The feud has reached across all levels of society, with a number of young professionals now involved. Gardaí believed that one man in his 20s who works for a high-end car dealership is now moving significant quantities of cocaine around the northside of Dublin to pay back a drug debt he racked up with one of the gangs.
Now, as penance and as a way of paying off the debt, the man is believed to be moving significant quantities of cocaine around the northside of Dublin.
The feud, as many in Dublin go, has seen innocent members of the extended families of these criminals targeted.
In recent weeks, the homes and property of innocent brothers, sisters, uncles and cousins of the gangland figures have been targeted by vandals.
In one instance, a woman was set upon while walking with her infant child who was in a pram at the time. The pram was pushed into a street and the woman received minor injuries from the assault. The child was physically unharmed.
The tit-for-tat incidents has been ramping up in recent weeks. As a result, armed patrols of areas frequented by the gangs have been increased and units across the Garda K district, which covers Blanchardstown and Finglas, have been told to immediately pass on any intelligence they receive – no matter how insignificant it may seem – to the drugs unit.
Various operations have been conducted by gardaí as a result of the upsurge in crime. Local sources have described how many inside the gangs want the violence to end as it is having a detrimental effect on the amount of money being brought in from drug sales.
Last month, gardaí from Blanchardstown conducted searches in a number of areas in Corduff. During that operation, five sawn-off shotguns, ammunition, a crossbow, and a quantity of cannabis herb were seized.
Superintendent Liam Carolan said at the time that “adequate Garda resources are being utilised to deal with this investigation and are supported by Garda National Units including the Armed Support Unit”.
He added: “We are very conscious of the needs of the people and the sentiments that are being expressed by people living in the Corduff area. Significant progress has been made regarding this investigation.”
Just two weeks after those seizures, Lee Boylan was shot a number of times as he sat in a van in Mulhuddart, west Dublin. Boylan, who is in his mid 20s, was shot a number of times as he sat in a van in traffic at the junction of Blakestown road and Huntstown Way,
He was treated at the scene by emergency services personnel and removed by ambulance to Connolly Hospital.
Gardaí in the area are hoping for extra resources to deal with the feud.
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