David Byrne, an alleged Kinahan Cartel member, was murdered at a boxing weigh-in at Dublin’s Regency Hotel in 2016.
Last month the murder investigation centering around Patrick Hutch, 26 — who was accused of gunning down David Byrne at a boxing weigh-in in Dublin in 2016 — collapsed (per The Irish Sun). On February 20th Ireland’s Special Criminal prosecution service entered a verdict of nolle prosequi, signifying that the state will drop all charges against Hutch.
The Regency Hotel shooting occurred on February 5th, 2016 during a weigh-in for a boxing show promoted by Macklin’s Gym Marbella (MGM). MGM is now known as MTK Global and counts Tyson Fury and Darren Till among its client roster. MGM was founded by Daniel Kinahan, the son of Christy Kinahan who is alleged to lead the organized crime syndicate known as the Kinahan Cartel. MTK Global claims Kinahan is no longer involved with the company.
The incident at the hotel began when a number of armed men stormed the room where fighters were weighing in. The shooting resulted in the death of David Byrne, who was alleged to be a high ranking member of the Kinahan Cartel and a close friend of Daniel Kinahan, the suspected target of the attack.
Byrne, who used to box at Crumlin Boxing Club, is a former sparring partner of Conor McGregor. McGregor was pictured with Byrne in 2015. McGregor has also spent time with Byrne’s nephew Lee Byrne. In 2018 Irish authorities announced that Lee Byrne’s father Liam Byrne (David Byrne’s brother) was a highly ranked Kinahan Cartel member.
The Regency Hotel shooting was one of the most public acts of violence to occur so far in the Kinahan-Hutch Gangland Feud, which began with the murder of Gary Hutch in September, 2015. Since Hutch’s death, allegedly at the hands of Kinahan Cartel members, at least 20 people have died from targeted assassinations in Ireland and Spain.
Patrick Hutch is the late Gary Hutch’s brother. His uncle is Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, the alleged leader of the Hutch Gang and reported arch-nemesis of Christy Kinahan.
The verdict that saw Hutch walk free (under heavily armed guard) comes after the death of Detective Superintendent Colm Fox, who was found deceased in his office in February, 2018. Fox was leading the investigation into the Regency Hotel shooting. Prosecutors stated that, with Fox dead, they were no longer in a position to bring evidence against Hutch.
Fox’s death was originally ruled as a ‘personal tragedy’, according to RTE, with no foul play suspected. However, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) have since announced that they would investigate the circumstances around Fox’s death.
The Irish Sun reported that Hutch has now gone into hiding. The gang war has resulted in many of Hutch’s family members and close associates being killed. While Hutch was jailed in 2017, his close friend James ‘Mago’ Gately – who was with him when he was arrested in 2016 – survived being shot five times during an assassination attempt by suspected Kinahan gunmen in north Dublin.
Reports in Ireland state that both Hutch and Gately are currently top of a Kinahan ‘hit list’. Hutch’s father Patsy Hutch is also alleged to be a target of the Kinahans.
Garda sources told The Irish Times that the collapse of the investigation into Hutch’s alleged role in the Regency Hotel shooting is likely to ‘enrage’ the Kinahan Cartel. As a result, security experts in Ireland fear a fresh wave of violence may soon strike Dublin.