Pubdate: Sun, 08 Mar 2009 Source: Sunday Times (UK) Copyright: 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd. Contact: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/?days=Sunday Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/439 Author: John Mooney OMBUDSMAN WIDENS PROBE INTO GARDA DRUG COLLUSION Suspicion Grows That Heroin Dealer Was 'Permitted' To Import Hard Drugs The Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is examining scores of drug seizures, arrests and covert operations involving Kieran Boylan, a convicted heroin dealer whose relationship with the force is the subject of a collusion inquiry following an expose by The Sunday Times. The garda ombudsman now suspects that Boylan was "permitted" to import huge quantities of heroin, cocaine and cannabis, which he supplied to low-level dealers, who were later arrested, while he continued to wholesale drugs to other criminal gangs. The scope of the GSOC inquiry has been extended to examine other startling claims, among them allegations that gardai informed Boylan that he was being targeted by other garda units. Personal details on gardai were also leaked to the criminal. The disclosure has prompted calls for Fachtna Murphy, the garda commissioner, to stand down an internal inquiry he set up to examine Boylan's relationship with members of the force. Murphy established the in-ternal inquiry in June before drug trafficking charges against Boylan, 37, over a 1.7m find of heroin and cocaine seized at a truckers yard in Ardee, Co Louth, in October 2005, were dropped during an unlisted court appearance. Boylan had threatened to reveal his knowledge of extra-judicial garda operations if his trial had proceeded. Fine Gael and the Labour party now believe that Garda Headquarters should have no further involvement in any investigation into Boylan. "Internal garda inquiries are no longer satisfactory in matters as serious as that involving Kieran Boylan," said Charlie Flanagan, the Fine Gael spokesman on justice issues. "It is entirely inappropriate for the gardai to conduct any investigation into this case by way of an internal inquiry. There is an issue of confidence and trust in the operations of the Garda Siochana at this stage." The affair was raised on three occasions in the Dail last week by opposition TDs following the broadcast of a Prime Time Investigates programme on RTE television about the drugs trafficker. The Labour party is planning to bring the garda commissioner before the next sitting of the Dail justice committee to answer questions about the affair. Joe Costello, a party TD, said: "I think the most appropriate way of getting answers would be to bring Commissioner Murphy before a committee where he can be questioned. The justice committee would be the most appropriate Dail committee to do this." Murphy has refused to answer questions about his personal knowledge of garda operations which involved Boylan. A garda spokesman refused to say whether or not Murphy would shut down the internal garda inquiry into Boylan. "In view of the fact that the matter you refer to is the subject of an inquiry by the Garda Ombudsman, it would be inappropriate to comment," said a garda spokesman. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart