CRIME BARONS GO DUTCH

Many of the country's most notorious criminal figures have fled to
safe havens in Holland in recent years after coming under pressure
from the Gardai.

One of the main factors in the exodus was the massive Garda crackdown
on Dublin criminal gangs which followed the murder of journalist
Veronica Guerin in 1996.

In addition, the setting up of the Criminal Assets Bureau has made
life unbearably hot for many Irish criminals, who reacted by moving
their drugs and other operations to the Continent, mainly to Holland.

Gardai said yesterday that a lot of the fleeing Irish criminal figures
had made their way to the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and The Hague, or
to Spain.

However, greatly increased co-operation between the Gardai and the
Dutch police has ensured that some of the most notorious figures have
been arrested and jailed for their criminal activities.

A number of gardai are based full-time in The Hague and Madrid, on
secondment to Europol. Others are based in the French city of Lyons,
with Interpol.

The police forces here and in Holland have also been working well
together under the Oisin Programme, an EU-funded project established
on the initiative of the Gardai.

Under that programme, police forces in Ireland and other European
countries co-operate together and exchange important information in
the ongoing fight against drug trafficking, terrorism and other
criminal activity.

The last two years in particular have seen a greatly increased level
of cooperation between the Gardai and the Dutch police in a bid to
catch those Irish criminals who have moved there.

The Gardai say that some of the major figures to have fled to Holland
in recent years have continued to operate their drug businesses from
that country.

Only last week, Irish detectives and their counterparts from other
European countries met in Dublin to review the progress made so far
under the Oisin Programme.

The Gardai hope that information already gathered by the two forces
under that programme might prove useful in establishing how the three
young Irishmen met their hideous deaths.

In the last six months, Gardai and Dutch police have conducted a total
of 16 successful operations against criminals in both countries. These
investigations led to the seizure of huge quantities of cannabis,
cocaine and heroin.

Major drug dealers, based both here and in the Netherlands, have been
getting increasingly worried by the effectiveness of the co-operation
between two police forces.

Gardai are familiar with most of the big Irish criminal figures who
they believe are still active in criminal activities in Holland.

Multi-millionaire drug dealer Georgie ``The Penguin'' Mitchell fled to
Holland after threats from the IRA, but still makes regular trips
home. Senior gardai believe the Ballyfermot born mobster is
reorganising his Dublin crime operation after a spell in a Dutch prison.

Regarded as one of the country's top five criminals, he is behind most
of the heroin supplied in the north inner city. With two lieutenants,
he is believed to have the capacity to earn up to pounds 1m a week
from his illegal dealings.

Most of his trips home have been flying visits. He arrives into Dublin
Airport and from there goes to see family and criminal contacts, said
a senior officer. Mitchell runs his Irish crime empire from Amsterdam,
alongside two Dublin associates known as ``Cyclops'', and
``Maradona''.

They are close to the two most powerful drug suppliers in west Dublin.
These two gangs use Ballyfermot for an elaborate heroin hub operation
that wreaks havoc throughout the city. As well as heroin, the Mitchell
gang deal in huge quantities of cannabis, ecstasy, and cocaine. Some
gardai estimate their capacity for profits up to pounds 1m a week. It
is believed the gang closely associate with criminals operating in the
Middle East and with the South American drug cartels. Brian Meehan
known as ``The Tosser'' was based in Amsterdam prior to his arrest by
Dutch police commandos and his extradition back home.

He is serving a life sentence for the murder of Veronica Guerin. He is
a violent career criminal in what Gardai believe was the most
dangerous gang in the State.

He grew up in Crumlin and has a string of convictions to his name. In
1989 he got six years for the robbery of a Dublin bank branch.

Also enduring a 20 year prison sentence is Eugene ``Dutchy'' Holland
who was also a regular visitor to the Netherlands. Known as The Wig he
got 20 years for drug offences.

Gardai said in court that they believed him to be the man responsible
for driving the motorcycle used in the Guerin murder.

Amsterdam was a favoured playground for a man serving the longest ever
sentence for a drug dealer Edward ``Judd'' Scanlon (49) of Cork, who
got 22 years.