Eamon Dunne – known as “The Don” – was a notorious criminal in north Dublin who led a gang which dealt in drug dealing, armed robbery, extortion and murder
A ruthless mob boss, now “drinking with the devil”, was implicated in at least a dozen murders during his reign of terror – including those of his own mates.
Eamon Dunne – dubbed “The Don” – was a notorious criminal in north Dublin who headed a gang involved in drug trafficking, armed robbery, extortion and murder. Dunne’s bloody spree included some of the most shocking and high-profile assassinations in the capital.
In December 2006, he orchestrated the killing of his former mentor and crime lord, Martin “Marlo” Hyland, right in the heart of his Finglas stronghold.
Two hitmen stormed the house – one ascended to where Hyland was sleeping, while the other restrained Anthony Campbell, a 20-year-old apprentice plumber who was there for work. Hyland was shot six times – twice in the head, four times in the back – as he slept.
Campbell, entirely unconnected to the criminal world, was shot in the head downstairs. The double homicide sparked public fury, particularly as Campbell had no ties to organised crime, reports the Mirror.
Another of Dunne’s most notorious alleged assassinations occurred in October 2007, when John Daly – a well-known criminal who had famously rang into RTE’s Liveline whilst behind bars – was gunned down shortly after walking free.
During the broadcast, Daly confronted journalist Paul Williams, hitting back at reports suggesting he was at war with a rival gangster.
It was a bold move – exploiting national radio to publicly separate himself from criminal bosses and portray himself as a lone wolf.
Some sources claim Dunne and associates viewed the phone call as treachery or defiance, with anger escalating rapidly.
Within days of his prison release that year, Daly was murdered in Finglas in what many believed was a retribution slaying.
He was also thought to have masterminded the killing of John Paul Joyce, a narcotics trafficker whose frozen corpse was discovered in a waterlogged ditch behind Dublin Airport in January 2010.
Shocked witnesses noticed bloodstains in the snow after his remains were abandoned in a chilling, premeditated act of intimidation.
In the run-up to Dunne’s own assassination in 2010, a police insider revealed to the Irish Independent that his murderous tendencies had reached new heights.
They said: “This man is a psychopath and has grown out of control.
“He is ruling gangland by fear and the murders in the past week are further evidence that he and his associates should not be crossed. Not content with making profits from his own activities, he has now branched out by capitalising on the name he has built up with in the criminal underworld, and collecting the debts owed to others also allows him a closer look at the vulnerability of his would-be rivals.”
In April 2010, Dunne was at a friend’s birthday celebration at the Faussagh House pub in the Irish capital when two gunmen stormed in, bellowing “down, down, everybody down” before unleashing a hail of bullets at the 34-year-old – who was seated beside his 17-year-old daughter Amy.
A third gunman positioned himself outside to block Dunne’s escape route, whilst the getaway driver remained in the vehicle. The crime boss was struck twice in the skull and six rounds were retrieved from his body.
His bloodied remains were abandoned on the ground as his own crew scattered from the scene. His daughter Amy was left standing over Dunne, screaming “me da, me da”.
Two individuals were detained in May 2010 for allegedly assisting in orchestrating the assault, and a third person was questioned under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act. Nevertheless, no prosecutions resulted and the slaying remains a mystery.
Anthony Campbell’s mum said he is now “drinking with the devil”, whilst Irish journalists branded him a “vicious and nasty paranoid coke-fuelled mess” during his final days.
#Mob #boss #chilling #murder #spree #including #pals #hes #gunned
