SHOT DRUG DEALER WAS GARDA INFORMER

THE drug dealer shot dead in Northern Ireland on Sunday was an
informer for the Garda National Drugs Unit whose information directly
led to the biggest Ecstasy seizure in the State last year.

Garda sources said they were convinced Brendan 'Speedy' Fagan was shot
dead by the IRA, who last year killed his associate Brendan 'Bap'
Campbell under the cover name of Direct Action Against Drugs.

The murder of Campbell led to Sinn Fein's expulsion from the Northern
talks process, but there is little political pressure for the party's
suspension on this occasion, even though security sources are
convinced republicans were involved in Fagan's murder on Sunday.

Senior Garda sources said Fagan was a man with a price on his head
from several quarters. He was operating as a tout for the Special
Branch and the drugs squad in the North, as well as working with the
Garda National Drugs Unit in the South.

He was responsible for two major seizures in the South last year. His
information led the GNDU to a location outside Balbriggan on April 11
last year, where the biggest Ecstasy haul in the State was made. GNDU
members seized 250,000 E-tabs, IEP1,570,000 worth of cannabis and a
quantity of cocaine. Fagan's information also led the GNDU to a
location in Drogheda on September 29 last year, where 100 kilos of
cannabis, valued at IEP1m was seized.

"These were just two of the big ones that he was involved in. He gave
information on a lot of the smaller ones as well.

He was trying to play all sides and in his game you just can't do
that. It was always a question of when he was going to be killed
because he was just wild," a senior drugs officer said.

"It seems certain it was the IRA who killed him. He wasn't giving them
enough of a cut. He was totally out of control. He always had two
minders with him and when he was shot the last time he was wearing a
bullet-proof vest. His minder disappeared on Sunday for ten minutes
and that was it."

The GNDU recruited the 24-year-old after he was questioned by Lucan
detectives investigating the murder of Veronica Guerin. Fagan was
spotted at a lock-up at Greenfort, Harolds Cross, Dublin, which was
used by the drugs gang who killed the journalist. He was not involved
in the killing, but he subsequently gave information on drug movements
in the South to the GNDU.

Fagan, who openly flaunted his wealth, was one of the North's biggest
drug dealers, importing Ecstasy, cannabis and cocaine through Dun
Laoghaire or the North Wall, and via Dundalk to Newry. When one of the
South's biggest drug dealers, Paddy Farrell, was assassinated, Fagan
expanded his empire.

"He has a nice network behind him in the North. He is no loss to
society but there will be others to take over."