Murdered Brandon Ledwidge was due in court today on charges over possession of heroin and cocaine with the intent of sale or supply, it has emerged.
It comes as Dublin Live learned gardai believe the first gangland murder victim of the year may have been killed by a convicted robber who is also a member of the mob he was in. Ledwidge, 23, was shot several times as he answered the door of his home on Barry Drive in Finglas at around 7pm on Saturday.
It is understood the deceased was due in court today as part of three separate charges he was facing for possession of heroin and cocaine with the intent of sale or supply. Now it has emerged the suspected gunman was known to the victim and was a member of the same Finglas-based drugs mob.
Read more: Victim of Finglas gangland shooting named as 23-year-old Brandon Ledwidge
Read more: Man, 23, killed in Finglas shooting outside home while mother was in the house
Sources said the assassin is also well- known to gardai and has several previous convictions, including for robbery of thousands of euro. Officers believe the young criminal carried out the shooting after Ledwidge had a row with a more senior gang member in recent weeks.
Sources said the dispute sparked the anger of senior members of the mob, who may have decided to take the criminal’s life as a means of sending a message. There is also a belief that Ledwidge, who lived in close proximity to where the drugs gang operate, was claiming he was going to set up his own operation and this caused more outrage.
Meanwhile, sources said the West Dublin mob that he worked for is a dangerous one that has operated around Barry Drive in recent years. The thugs worked in tandem with the infamous Gucci Gang that was run by the mobster known Mr Flashy but was a separate entity.
One source described an area where the group now operate as being like “a scene from [TV series] The Wire,” adding the mob practically controls an entire street in the Finglas area. The insider added: “Day and night there are people coming to get their drugs from this gang. They all live and work in very close proximity to one another and have totally ruined a whole street with their drug dealing.”
A postmortem was carried out yesterday by State Pathologist, Dr Sally Ann Collis, which determined Ledwidge died of several gunshot wounds. The Garda press office said a technical examination of the scene has since been completed and a family liaison officer “has been appointed to the family of the deceased”.
![Garda technical bureau pictured attending scene at Barry Drive following fatal shooting](https://i2-prod.dublinlive.ie/incoming/article28143262.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_JS317327961.jpg)
Officers carried out door-to-door inquiries around the Finglas area yesterday and are in the process of gathering as much CCTV as possible. Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to Ledwidge on social media.
These included a poignant picture that was posted by his mother, which was followed by hundreds of comments by people expressing their condolences. An aunt said she was “broken” after her nephew’s death, adding she considered him to be one of her closest friends.
She posted: “My nephew/brother... My forever best friend. I loved you from the first day of your life and I’ll love you till the last day of my life.”
And in a social media post one friend wrote: “Never thought I’d be saying this but rest in peace Brandon Ledwidge brother.” Another said they were “f***ing sick to the core,” saying the death of Brandon was a “damn waste of life, for f***ing what. Come on lads, as you’s know you can’t even trust your own lads.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Finglas Garda station on 01 666 7500, the Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any station.
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