MORE DRUG VIOLENCE LIKELY AFTER MURDER

Gardai expect there may be further violence arising from the weekend
murder in Amsterdam of Derek Dunne, one of the Republic's leading
heroin traffickers and son-in-law of the leading criminal, George "the
Penguin" Mitchell.

Mitchell's whereabouts were unknown yesterday but he is believed to
have been in Amsterdam when Dunne, who was married to his daughter
Rachel, was shot dead in an armed confrontation at his home in a quiet
suburb in the west of the city.

According to Garda sources Mitchell had provided protection for his
son-in-law's drug smuggling operation, and the killing is seen as a
direct assault on Mitchell's organisation.

Mitchell, who left Dublin in 1996 after unsuccessfully attempting to
set up an ecstasy factory in Lucan, has a considerable reputation
among Irish criminals. He also has well-established connections with
other organised criminal gangs in the Netherlands and Britain.

Dutch police have released very little information about Saturday's
armed confrontation in Amsterdam, in which a Dutch national was shot
in the head and chest. He is described as critically injured but
stable in hospital. It is believed this man confronted Dunne at the
front door of his house and that Dunne shot him.

It is understood the Dutch man and two associates had captured an
English criminal who worked with Dunne and forced him to take them to
Dunne's house.

The Englishman, whose hands were, bound was shot in the side during
the confrontation but was not seriously hurt. He too was in protective
custody last night.

A police spokesman said Mr Dunne and the two injured men now in
custody were "unknown" to the force. He confirmed that at least six
shots were fired at the scene and a revolver was recovered, although
no drugs were found.

He ruled out a link between the incident and the killing of three
Irishmen in a suburb of The Hague four weeks ago by a drugs gang. It
was not believed that any other Irish people were involved, added the
spokesman.

After the shooting at least two men drove off in a car which was later
found burned out about 15km away. The Dutch police would not disclose
what nationality Dutch officers believed the two or three men who
escaped from the scene to be.

However, according to local media reports, it is believed the men may
be of Eastern European extraction.

In recent years organised criminal gangs from former Yugoslavia and
other eastern European countries have been expanding their operations
in the Netherlands and are vying for control of parts of the drugs
trade in which Irish criminals are involved.