Slain James Whelan’s gang have vowed revenge over his murder as they pinpointed the blame on one of Mr Flashy’s close associates.
Pals of the 29-year-old drug dealer took to social media to pay tribute to him, and declared: “We will finish this for you bro once and for all.”
Among those commenting was the son of the Kinahan cartel’s Liam Byrne, Lee Byrne. Posting to his near 50,000 followers on social media, Lee shared a picture of himself alongside Whelan and Lee Gibson who has been described in court by the Criminal Assets Bureau as a “foot soldier” for Liam Byrne’s gang.
READ MORE: Mr Flashy rival James Whelan shot dead in Finglas as gardai launch gangland murder probe
Lee Byrne, who has no criminal convictions, wrote: “May God rest your soul my brother, I love you always, thank you for everything.”
Whelan was shot once in the chest at 4.30am on Sunday in the Deanstown area of Finglas, North Dublin. Although Whelan was once a close ally of Mr Flashy’s self-proclaimed “Gucci Gang”, he had sided with a rival faction in recent times as both mobs went to war.
There have been a number of beatings, a daylight kidnapping and even a grenade attack as the feud has worsened since the New Year. But gardai believe Whelan was whacked by Flashy’s mob in a major escalation of the dispute.
The rival faction, of which Whelan was a senior member, has blamed a young associate of Flashy for the killing. With tensions high on the ground, goading messages between the two factions have been posted on social media since Sunday.
A source said: “These two groups involve young drug dealers who can be absolutely reckless. And often rumour becomes fact in their eyes because they are being fuelled by paranoia and revenge. Both sides have access to firearms and weaponry so there certainly is a real fear more blood will be spilled.”
Whelan was killed near a property linked to Flashy, which was raided by gardai on Sunday afternoon. A primary part of the investigation is establishing why Whelan was in the area at the time.
It is understood that cops are examining any communications he had before he was blasted to death and if he was with any of his pals at the time. Gardai are also investigating if the murder was linked to two other gun attacks over the weekend.
The first saw a machine firearm used to target Whelan’s innocent relative’s home on Friday night while his associates are suspected of hitting back on Saturday, targeting a house linked to Flashy with gunshots. Whelan was a known criminal who, gardai previously told Dublin Circuit Court, was a member of an organised crime gang.
The Dubliner – who had 57 convictions including two for drug possession – was involved in the narcotics trade since his teenage years, and when he was 18 he had almost €30,000 seized in cash from him. He is also related to Ireland’s first convicted gangland killer, “Cotton Eye” Joe Delaney.
Meanwhile, Mr Flashy, 27, has risen to become a senior member in organised crime in the capital in recent years. His mob – who have been involved in separate feuds in Finglas and neighbouring Corduff – has links to the Kinahan cartel.
Among its members were Mark Capper, Glen Thompson and Mohammad Smew, who all served time for a foiled plot to kill cartel target Patsy Hutch, who is not involved in crime.
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