The Kinahan cartel wants to deliver huge drug shipments to the South East Antrim UDA
The organized crime mob is said to have approved a shipment of Class A drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds
The South East Antrim UDA was criticized for doing business with the Kinahans
South East Antrim’s UDA negotiated a huge drugs shipment with the Kinahan cartel.
The organized crime mob is said to have approved a shipment of Class A drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and sources say the delivery is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
There is speculation that this could be South East Antrim’s (SEA) “final roll of the dice” as it struggles to control the drug trade in Carrickfergus, where it once had an iron grip on the drug trade.
Ousted Brigadier Gary Fisher built a drug trafficking empire and turned SEA into one of the North’s most successful organized crime gangs.
Gary Fisher
But with increasing competition from outside gangs and the attention of the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF), their control and dominance collapsed.
Fisher came under intense pressure and the former fitness fanatic’s health deteriorated. It culminated in him suffering a heart attack at his home on Green Island earlier this year.
The gangster spent several days in the intensive care unit before he was able to discharge himself. He was subsequently resigned and replaced.
Criminal sources in the city have told the Sunday World that the leadership is keen to re-establish the organization as a major player in the city.
They have long-standing contacts with the Kinahan cartel, but this latest shipment is said to be their most important deal.
And it comes with high risk. Since the Kinahans routinely demand advance payment, SEA faces a huge financial setback if the shipment is intercepted by the PCTF.
The crime-fighting unit has achieved a number of high-profile successes in recent years, particularly against the SEA and the East Belfast UVF.
Despite pressure on the international stage, the Kinahans remain leaders when it comes to drugs and have become increasingly influential here.
They are now believed to be the main cocaine traffickers across Northern Ireland.
There has been some unrest within the ranks of the UDA, which does business with a southern crime gang, but the leadership is determined to bring SEA back to the top.
This comes even as unrest over its involvement in the drug trade grows and some senior figures advocate an exit.
The Sunday world understands that the Kinahan shipment will be brought via the docks in Belfast, where the PCTF has had considerable success in intercepting shipments.