Hutch gang's 'greatest failure' achieved nothing except more deaths, top Garda says
The Regency Hotel attack was the ‘greatest failure’ for the Hutch gang - as it resulted in a wave of deaths, a top Garda has said.Garda Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland also revealed that the Hutch Organised Crime Group is still actively involved in the distribution of drugs in this country to this day - and is a top target for the force.Speaking ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Regency Hotel attack on February 5th, Detective Chief Superintendent Boland said the investigation into shooting, which he likened to a "terrorist attack" is not shelved, and denied that there has been a "policing failure" in not convicting anyone of the murder of David Byrne.The senior Garda, who heads the force’s Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, spoke out as gardai also revealed statistics showing that since the eruption of the feud, some 51 gangland hits have been prevented, 17 people were arrested over the Regency and five were convicted. They also seized over 70 firearms, 4,376 rounds of ammunition, €31.8 million of controlled drugs seized and €11.1 million in cash as a result of policing the feud.Officers also revealed that they successfully prosecuted 98 associates of the Hutch Organised Crime Group and the Kinahan Organised Crime Group before the courts to date. Some 19 of those were murder related, 25 attempted murder related, 21 firearms related, 22 drug trafficking and 21 money laundering related.Gardai say some 15 of those convicted are associated with the Hutch Organised Crime Group - while a staggering 83 of the persons convicted are associated with the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.Det Chief Superintendent Boland, who insisted the investigation into the Regency isn't over, said the attack was ultimately a massive failure for the Hutch gang - due to the sheer loss of life that followed.“This attack on the Regency Hotel is the worst organised crime attack in the history of this State. It’s also the greatest failure by the people who planned it and carried it out because it did not achieve anything except increase the numbers of people who were eventually killed,” he said.“The important thing that defined it is the number of innocent people who were eventually killed because it almost became killing for the sake of killing. So it’s important that we continue all of our investigations and our efforts to bring people to court, but we’re not emotional with any of these investigations.”His comments came after he read an earlier statement in which he said it was “a violent firearms attack, similar to terrorist attacks that had been occurring across Europe at the time,” that was carried out by the Hutch OCG and terrorised members of the public and put everyone in attendance, at the risk of death.He was also asked if the acquittal of Gerry Hutch of the murder of David Byrne before the Special Criminal Court in 2023, and the fact that no one else had been convicted of the crime, was ultimately a failure of policing.“No, I don't see it as a policing failure," he said. On the other hand how lucky are we and thankfully we live in a democratic society where everybody is innocent until proven guilty and that we can’t find people guilty by media or personal opinion.“So we live in a society where we can still bring people to court, we can prosecute people. Even on this occasion (with Gerry Hutch) in the Special Criminal Court, which has often come under, I believe unjustified criticism on many occasions - and people can be found not guilty. They are the benefits of living in a free, democratic society like we do here in Ireland. From a policing perspective, we don’t see it as a failure,” he said.“There’s still five people that have been convicted in relation to serious offences in relation to that murder. There’s one person who wasn’t presented before the courts due to the natural progression of a terminal illness. There are many issues and there’s only so much that An Garda Siochana can actually do in relation to an investigation. But I definitely don’t see it as a failure."He also said there were no regrets within the force over the manner in which the investigation into the biggest gangland murder in the history of the State was handled.“If you have regrets in policing, I tell you, you are in the wrong career. No, there are no regrets and we’re very professional in the manner in which we approach investigations. Our investigations are based on facts, hard facts and hard evidence,” he said.In 2024 this paper revealed how the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had ruled that there would be no further charges in relation to the Regency - in the wake of Gerry Hutch’s acquittal. But when asked today if the Garda investigation into the shooting is effectively shelved, the senior Garda was insistent that it wasn’t - and that anyone can still come forward with new evidence.“No, the investigation is not shelved because investigations like this are never shelved. So it’s important for me to use this opportunity as well on the 10th anniversary of this outrageous attack and the murder of David Byrne to appeal to anybody out there who has any information, no matter how small they think it is, to bring it forward to An Garda Siochana because new information can lead us to new evidence, which then can facilitate investigations to go even further than they actually have with all of the prosecutions that have taken place,” he said.“So I’d use the opportunity to appeal to anybody with further information that may assist us, please come forward because we do want to bring more people before the courts. We’ve seen in the past people engaged in very serious crimes that led to deaths who have had to carry that burden with them themselves and who have many years later walked into garda stations and admitted their roles and given evidence.”The senior officer also spoke about the declining influence of the mob led by Daniel Kinahan in this country- and said gardai are still awaiting a decision by the DPP in relation to potential charges against the leaders of that cartel.“The actual impact of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group on this jurisdiction of Ireland is very, very much reduced, whereby they are no longer the primary group that is the focus of our national investigations,” he said.“So that group does not exist in any format like it did previously and our investigations are still focused on finalising the complete and utter dismantling of the Kinahan Organised Crime Group.”In relation to the complex files before the DPP, one of which is understood to recommend that Daniel Kinahan be charged with murder, he said: “I think everybody is aware and its public knowledge, there are significant files that are under consideration. That’s normal practice and so we must await decisions in relation to all of these matters and as I’ve said our work is not finished until we bring the people who are responsible for the absolute devastation and carnage of this city and the name of this country before the courts to face justice.”He spoke too about the current status of the Kinahan Hutch feud, which has seen a total of 18 men shot dead - most of which occurred after the Regency. “In relation to the potential for feud activity to continue, you know, that’s a matter we must always be conscious of. We’re not dealing with reasonable or rational people on any side in this incident,” he said.Despite there being no murders connected to the feud since 2018, Detective Chief Superintendent Boland said gardai can never say the feud is over. “Thankfully there have been no attacks or murders in a considerable period of time. But again we need to not be complacent. Nobody can be trusted on their word in relation to these issues. There is nobody who can actually say that what has happened because of this feud and with so many murders and so many attacks that have taken place, there’s always a danger that this could happen again.”Sign up to our new Crime Ireland newsletter and get exclusive content from Michael O'Toole and Paul HealyThe Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every weekSpeaking about the feud itself, Det Chief Superintendent Boland said it effectively broke up one gang - and revealed that the row, which escalated with the murder of Gary Hutch, began in a fight for supremacy over the drug market.“What we’re actually talking about here is rather than two totally independent organised crime groups, we’re talking about one crime group who are very well associated with each other and were all working significantly in the drug trafficking environment and what in effect originated from a control for power and supremacy within the group itself, which is normal when you’re dealing with people who are motivated by greed and power.”But, he said, it is among those still lasting tensions that perhaps someone could still come forward to gardai and tell them what they know.“But loyalties do change and a lot of people and families were hurt in this and criminals can feel grief and emotions as well in relation to these issues. So with the passing of time and where people have seen the capabilities of the criminal justice system in this country to bring high level people to justice. I appeal to people, there are people out there who have information. I appeal to them to please come forward and assist us in finishing the job that we set out to do.”In an earlier statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Boland said the Regency, which changed gangland and policing in this country for good, risked the lives of everyone at the event that day.“This event was attended by boxers, promoters and members of the public including families with children. In excess of 200 people were in the hotel. A violent firearms attack, similar to terrorist attacks that had been occurring across Europe at the time, was carried out by the Hutch Organised Crime Group on the event, terrorising members of the public and everyone in attendance, with the risk of death,” he said.“One person, Mr David Byrne was murdered and a number of others were injured, and fortunate to survive having sustained injuries due to the discharge of military grade assault rifles.“This extreme violence attack was the catalyst to accelerate a vengeful and merciless campaign of violence between the Kinahan Organised Crime Group and the Hutch Organised Crime Group, both of which held the primary position in violent organised crime in Ireland for many decades.”Meanwhile Garda Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, Organised and Serious Crime, likened the Regency shooting to an attack on the State."In 2016 the attack at the Regency Hotel by the Hutch Organised Crime Group was not just an attack on a sporting event and the murder of David Byrne but an attack on our state and an affront to all right minded and peaceful citizens.“An Garda Siochána responded to that murderous outrage with a sustained and relentless campaign to disrupt, degrade and dismantle the Hutch and Kinahan criminal organisations and their criminal activity,” she said.Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
