Crime World

An Irishman has been arrested as part of an investigation into a bizarre assassination plot foiled by an undercover cop who infiltrated a major “violence-as-a-service” network.The 33-year-old from Limerick is in custody in Cyprus, as details emerge of an extraordinary Nordic network using disposable young hitmen.Nicola talks with Eamon Dillon about the story.

The jury in the inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe has found that the teenager died on the night of his disappearance, meaning that the PSNI’s response to his disappearance did not contribute to his death.  However, the jury did find that police failings impacted on their ability to come to a conclusion in the inquest and found that the Department of Infrastructure “erred” in its management of the culvert in which the teenager died.  But it also found that it was not probable that the Department’s management of the culvert more than minimally contributed to Noah’s death.  They were unable to explain Noah’s behaviour on the day he went missing because the evidence was insufficient to enable them to reach a conclusion.   14-year-old Noah’s body was discovered in north Belfast six days after he went missing as he cycled to meet friends.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s Liam Tunney, who has been in court throughout the inquest. 

A boxing manager linked to Daniel Kinahan for more than two decades took to the ring in Croke Park on the night of Katie Taylor's epic final fight.Anthony Fitzpatrick was named in the High Court in October 2022 as a ‘close associate’ of the mob boss, a founding member of the original MGM boxing club in Marbella and had at one point run MTK from a Kinahan-owned house later seized by the CAB in Dublin.Nicola and Niall talk about Fitzpatrick and how his presence on Katie’s big night raises concerns for the sport.

 A UVF hitman has said loyalist death squads were run by MI5, and he is willing to tell a peace and reconciliation process all about it. Paul Beattie was once one of the most active gunmen for the UVF in Belfast in the 1990s. Niall speaks to Steven Moore about Beattie's past and how it weighs heavily on him.

 Synthetic cannabis vapes are causing a wave of psychiatric problems among Irish teens, including drug-induced psychosis. Niall talks to Crime World's Denise Smith about the hidden dangers of HHC vapes and how they are still being sold under the counter despite a ban.  

A network of narco bosses known as the ‘EncroChat Eight’ were supplying some of the most powerful drug mobs stretching from Dublin to Donegal, proving there is no border when it comes to the business of drugs.The links between the powerful gangs show a supermarket supply chain of cannabis, cocaine, tablets and methamphetamine being bought and sold like any regular commodity.Nicola and Niall talk about the fascinating case which provides a window into a corporate world.

The son of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch has been extradited to Ireland and brought before the courts on a charge of facilitating a crime gang.Nicola speaks to Niall Donald about the case.

Further criticism has been piled on police in Northern Ireland in relation to their handling of a case in the run up to the murder of showjumper Katie Simpson where the PSNI ‘inadequately’ investigated a complaint of indecent exposure by her killer Jonathan Creswell.Journalist Tanya Fowles says a public inquiry into the PSNI and the murder of Katie Simpson should be a priority to restore trust and respect in the police service.Today she tells Nicola of the overdue vindication of another of his victims who bravely made a complaint about what he did to her at a stable yard - five years before he killed Katie.