Episode 1272: Mr Big's arrest, Sean McGovern's trial, and the cold case murder of Emer O'Loughlin

A three-man assassination squad scouted out Irish crime boss Robbie Lawlor’s movements before carrying out his contract killing, a Belfast court has heard.The three formed a cell intercepted by police following the shooting, but were then released and allowed to leave Northern Ireland, it has emerged.So, what are the claims that were made as bail was refused to accused Adrian Holland, who is charged with the murder of Lawlor in April 2020, and just who are the three-man assassination squad?Today Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about the murder of Lawlor and the intriguing evidence that has come out so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Des 202224min

THE judges at the Special Criminal Court are set to rule on the admissibility of evidence relating to 10 hours of conversation between murder accused Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch and ex-Sinn Fein councillor Jonathan Dowdall, captured by a garda bugging device on March 7 2016.The defence, led by Brendan Grehan SC, says almost eight hours of the contents of the audio recording of the conversations should be thrown out, as Dowdall's jeep was travelling through Northern Ireland at the time and therefore is ‘illicit fruit’.The prosecution disagrees, and counsel Sean Gillane says the bug was an inanimate object and the recordings are lawful as the device was deployed, retrieved and downloaded in the Republic.The decision will be hugely significant for garda operations and for criminals. Nicola Tallant chats with courts reporter Alison O’Riordan about the crossroads in the Regency trial and what the judgement will mean for gardai, the surveillance act and the accused. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Des 202225min

THE arrest of a Balkan mob boss in a massive Europol co-ordinated operation against the so called 'Super Cartel' leaves just one man standing from the leadership of the gang that controlled a massive 30 per cent of Europe’s cocaine market.Edin Gacanin of the 'Tito and Dino cartel' was the third big gang boss who had attended Daniel Kinahan’s infamous 2017 wedding to be lifted in Dubai, in a multi-national operation that saw 49 arrests and the seizure of high-end cars, jewellery and properties.His arrest follows that of Camorra boss Raffaele Imperiale, also identified at the wedding by the US Drug Enforcement Agency, and that of the Dutch-Moroccan leader Riduoan Taghi.Nicola Tallant chats with Sunday World journalist Eamon Dillon about the multi-agency raids six in different countries that netted high value targets for Europol.They discuss the highly-organised operations against the 'Super Cartel' and the looming final takedown of the Kinahan high command, still bedded down in an increasingly unwelcoming Dubai. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Nov 202234min

FOR Gerry Hutch the stakes couldn't be higher at the Special Criminal Court, where he stands accused of murder - a crime that goes with a mandatory life sentence.Each day, he faces the weight of the prosecution case compiled by an army of gardai who have spent years putting together their case against him and co-accused Paul Murphy and Jason Bonney.So, how is he dealing under the pressure and does his face give away anything about how he feels inside?Nicola Tallant talks to court sketch artist Mike O'Donnell, who has spent days studying 'The Monk' as he draws his image in the dock.They discuss skill of the court artist, about the intricacies and lines that make up a face and about works of art created during the darkest of hours.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Nov 202224min

It was an unforgiveable crime - to murder someone and refuse to give up their body. And it became the ultimate terror threat of the IRA: “We will disappear you and no one will ever know.”Those tragic secrets lay buried for many years but the truth always has a way of coming out.The families of those who became known as “The Disappeared” gradually found their voices and, one by one, the bodies were found in lonely bogs and beaches. The remains of 13 of the 17 disappeared victims have been recovered, while four have yet to be found. Efforts to locate their bodies continue to this day and earlier this month a new dig for teenager Columba McVeigh was resumed on a bog in County Monaghan.Sunday World Assistant Editor in Belfast, Gerry Millar, spent the early years of his career investigating these cases and was amongst the first to compile a list of what became known as 'The Disappeared'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Nov 202259min

The final hour of bugged conversations between Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch and Jonathan Dowdall were played to the Special Criminal Court as the prosecution and defence now embark on their arguments about the admissibility of the evidence.Nicola Tallant talks with Sunday World journalist Eamon Dillon about the chats centred around Sinn Fein and the dissidents, who the pair claim are idolised for their beliefs.They talk about the mindset of The Monk as he discusses the expanse of the Kinahan organisation and the possibility of a peace process overseen by the paramilitaries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Nov 202240min

WELCOME to the Dingle Whiskey Movie Club - a Crime World special where we will be discussing our favourite mobster movies with special guests.Each week for the next five, we will choose two movies from our own Top 10 to review, to rate and to remember.But we want your thoughts too - so go to our social media sites on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to vote for your favourites and be in with a chance to win tickets to a special live show and party.This week Clodagh Meaney chats with Sunday World's Deirdre Reynolds and TV star Fionnula Jay, as they cast their eyes over two iconic gangster movies, Goodfellas and The Usual Suspects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Nov 202243min

GERRY 'The Monk' Hutch hated what organised crime had become by the time, the State say, he was headed North in a jeep with Jonathan Dowdall to facilitate the return of the AK47s used in the Regency Hotel attack.It was March 2016, his brother 'Neddy' was already dead, and he knew that a peace deal with the Kinahan organisation, overseen by Northern Irish paramilitaries, was his only hope of saving his family.Such is the narrative spilling out at the Special Criminal Court, where surveillance tapes are being played and where Hutch stands accused of murder.Nicola Tallant chats with Niall Donald about plots to kill, about an underworld in turmoil and about 'The Monk' on a mission to stop a tide of murder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Nov 202235min