'Textbook' decoy convoy brought Kinahan boss to court after extradition
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The Defence Forces and Gardaí concocted a decoy plan to get Kinahan mobster Sean McGovern safely to court, it has emerged.
The Irish Mirror reports that military officers at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, south County Dublin worked with senior Gardaí to send two convoys out at the same time – but the cavalcade the media filmed was a dummy one.
Sources say the real convoy carrying McGovern, 39, to the Special Criminal Court left at the same time as the dummy one – but from another gate. "It was a textbook military tactic," a source said.
More than a dozen media and members of the public were camped outside the main gate of the Air Corps HQ when the fake convoy – consisting of an Audi saloon, a Skoda SUV, a Hyundai SUV, a Volkswagen Golf and a Volkswagen Tiguan – left at approximately 6:51pm to make the 21kms journey to the CCJ in central Dublin, where the Special Criminal Court is located.
But, unbeknownst to the observers, McGovern was not in any of the cars. Instead, he was being driven out of one of the other five gates in the sprawling airbase – in a convoy made up of a black Audi Saloon, a black BMW SUV and a black Audi estate.
No civilians witnessed the convoy that was actually carrying McGovern leaving the base. The convoy – including members of the heavily-armed Emergency Response Unit – arrived at the CCJ at 7.11pm.
Sources have confirmed the Defence Forces and Gardaí worked together to launch the diversion operation. Sources said it was aimed at minimising the security risk to Gardaí involved in the convoy.
It's also understand that the gate through which the real convoy left Baldonnel was only opened for 30 seconds – just enough for the cars to leave. A Defence Forces spokesman and a spokesperson for An Garda Síochána declined to comment.
McGovern later appeared in court on five charges. He is charged with one murder and four gangland offences. He is charged with the murder of Christoper, aka Noel, Kirwan at St Ronan's Drive in Clondalkin in west Dublin on December 22, 2016.
Mr Kirwan, 62, was shot dead in the driveway of his home. He was targeted by the Kinahan cartel after he was spotted with Gerry "the Monk" Hutch at the funeral of his brother Eddie Hutch in Dublin in February 2016.
Mr McGovern is also charged with four gangland offences. It is alleged that between October 20, 2016 and December 22, 2016, he directed the activities of the criminal gang that murdered Mr Kirwan. It is also alleged that between the same dates he facilitated the crime gang's murder of Mr Kirwan.
He faces a further two charges in relation to a murder attempt on James "Maggo" Gately, 36, a leading figure in the Hutch organised crime gang. It is alleged that between October 17, 2015 and April 6, 2017, he directed a criminal organisation in relation to the monitoring of activity of Mr Gately.
It is further alleged that between the same dates, he facilitated a conspiracy to murder Mr Gately. He was remanded in custody to Portlaoise Prison. His next court appearance is June 5 via video link from the prison.
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