COMMISSIONER DISGUSTED BY NETHERLANDS MURDERS

Garda Commissioner Mr Pat Byrne has expressed his "shock and disgust"
at the murders of three Irishmen in the Netherlands. Dutch police
yesterday formally identified the men, who were victims of drugs criminals.

The families of the victims had waited 11 days for official
confirmation. The dead men were named as Mr Damien Monahan (24), from
Ennis, Co Clare, and brothers Vincent (29) and Morgan Costello (21),
from Bansha, Co Tipperary.

Speaking at the Garda Representative Association conference in
Westport, Co Mayo, Mr Byrne said organised crime was now well
structured and he stressed the need to forge international links to
combat the gangs.

The three men were mutilated, tortured and shot before their bodies
were burned in the bathroom of the fifth-floor apartment in The Hague
suburb of Scheveningen on April 29th.

Identifying the remains proved a slow process for Dutch police, who
used DNA methods. Blood samples taken from family members were flown
to the Netherlands along with the men's dental records.

Members of Mr Monahan's family travelled to the Netherlands this week.
His body was released yesterday and his family hope to bring the
remains home today.

The Costello family has requested that no media attend the funeral of
the two brothers on Friday. Their remains are expected in Ireland tomorrow.

Police believe the killings were carried out or ordered by a drugs
gang that lost a consignment of firearms and drugs to police in March.

A Dublin trafficker and a Dutch associate were arrested and follow-up
raids yielded arms and drugs with a street value of more than pounds 8
million.

According to Dutch police sources, a quantity of amphetamines and a
tablet press were discovered in the apartment rented by one of the
Irishmen.

A spokeswoman for the Dutch public prosecutor's office yesterday told
RTC9 news the three men had not previously come to the attention of
the police. The spokeswoman also confirmed that Irish people were
arrested in recent police operations against drugs. "I cannot tell you
now that there is a link between these people and this case," she added.