2 weeks Ago By Stephen Breen
VETERAN criminal Gerry Hutch could still face extradition to Spain — even if he’s elected to the Dail. The Irish Sun on Sunday can reveal officers from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation are continuing to liaise with their Spanish counterparts over a massive money laundering probe. The Spanish-led probe is centred on the Hutch Organised Crime Group’s alleged use of cash from criminal activities to fund the purchase of properties and other assets, including vehicles, in Spain.
As part of the inquiry, gardai searched The Monk’s Dublin home after a request to gather evidence was made by the Spanish authorities. The items — including electronic devices and documents — will now be analysed by Spanish investigators. Although Hutch has been released on bail by a court in Lanzarote as the investigation continues, a warrant could still be issued for his arrest if the court rules he should be charged.
The court in Spain is expected to rule next year on whether or not Hutch should be charged with money laundering activities. In an interview on journalist Nicola Tallant’s Crime World podcast last week, Hutch claimed the probe was being orchestrated by the Gardai to prevent him standing in the election . But he failed to mention that the investigation has been ongoing for the last two years.
We sent messages to Hutch’s social media account about his decision to run in Dublin Central in the General Election but he did not reply. One Spanish investigator told us: “ Gerard Hutch will be treated the same as any other citizen if he is charged in connection with this ongoing investigation. There won’t be any special treatment just because he becomes a politician.
“He was given bail to contest the election in Ireland but the investigation in which he was arrested continues with co-operation from Ireland.” In his extraordinary podcast interview last week, Hutch denied that he was head of the Hutch Organised Crime Group but did confirm he facilitated a meeting between his nephew Gary and Daniel Kinahan to settle their differences. During the Kinahan and Hutch feud, two murders are attributed to the Hutch gang.
They are the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in February 2016 and the killing of Michael Keogh in May 2017. Keogh — whose brother Jonathan is serving life for the murder of Hutch’s nephew Gareth — was a key member of the Kinahan cartel living and working in Dublin ’s north inner city. The chief suspect in the killing of Keogh is Jason ‘Buda’ Molyneux, who was shot dead in January 2018.
Another investigator told us: “The killing of Michael Keogh was probably one of the more professional killings of the feud. “The killers were in and gone before anyone knew Keogh was dead. It was a very professional hit.
“Their getaway car was found before anyone knew Keogh had been shot dead. Keogh was important to the Kinahan gang and that’s why he was killed. “Keogh’s brother was involved in killing Gareth Hutch and it’s clear that it was the Hutch Organised Crime Group who committed this murder.
Michael Keogh wasn’t under threat from anyone else.” Ahead of Friday’s election, former Garda Supt Martin Mooney, who served in Hutch’s stomping ground, has again called on The Monk to address issues of his alleged involvement in organised crime. Mr Mooney said: “I would like to know what his thoughts are on the Hutch Organised Crime Group and, if he’s not part of it, who is its leader or does it exist? “People have a right to know if a man who could be representing them is fit for public office.
” Speaking for the first time about the Kinahan and Hutch feud, The Monk also talked for the first time about the two assassins who were sent to Lanzarote to kill him on New Year’s Eve, 2015. And as part of our revelations on one of Ireland’s most infamous criminals, we reveal new details on the Kinahan cartel plot to kill him. At the time of the botched hit, Kinahan cartel killers Eamon Cumberton, 37, and Christopher Slator, 40, were sent to Lanzarote to whack The Monk.
Hutch revealed last week how he spotted the pair arriving at the bar he was in before he hid behind a pillar. In a Spanish file obtained by us, investigators claimed: “It is commonly understood that both Eamon Cumberton and Christopher Slator flew to Lanzarote in December 2015 with a view to shooting Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch.” And we can reveal that investigators believe that James Quinn — currently serving life in Spain for his role in the killing of Gary Hutch in September 2015 — was the cartel lieutenant who supplied the guns and vehicles for the hit.
We also spoke to a Dutch investigator who told us of their concerns that Hutch spent time in Amsterdam after the killing of his brother Eddie in 2016. They told us: “There was a real concern this feud could spill over onto the streets of Holland just as it had done in Ireland and Spain.”.
