The secretive mobster looks gaunt and has been described as 'haunted', Fisher is losing his grip on the crime gang. Gregg initially remained aloof from the struggle and instead concentrated on his anti-Catholic campaign. The new Irish Sea Border: What does it mean? A mural commemorating Gregg and Carson in Cloughfern. Former PSNI superintendent Ken Pennington said he considers them to be "a criminal cartel that have wrapped themselves in a flag". [55] Gilmore had been targeted in an unsuccessful crossbow attack the previous August. [4] The attack had been known in advance by security forces due to a tip-off from informants within Rathcoole; Adams and his co-passengers had survived in part because Royal Ulster Constabulary officers, acting on the informants information, had replaced much of the ammunition in the UDAs Rathcoole weapons dump with low-velocity bullets. The Sunday World understands he is desperate for an exit strategy that will take him out of the firing line. [1][2] It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. Each were accused of taxing drug dealers and stealing tens of thousands of pounds from UVF coffers. [52], On 29 May 2017 Colin Horner, a friend of Gilmore and former UDA member, was fatally shot in front of his three-year-old son at a busy shopping centre in Bangor, County Down. And some of them think the UVF tout should be made to pay with his life but were told they couldn't by already under-fire SEA leader Fisher. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. match. The UVF were seen to be trying to exploit the friction within the UDA and even erected new billboards of UVF gunmen and both groups flooded the estate with their own paramilitary flags in the run-up to the Twelfth. [33], In November 2011, Stuart Gregg received 400,000 compensation for psychological trauma due to having witnessed his father's murder. "But he's only delaying the inevitable and will eventually have to account for the 250,000 that's disappeared.". Close pal Clifford 'Trigger' Irons is currently out on bail awaiting trial on drugs charges. The killing of Mr Horner, gunned down in front of his three-year-old son Oscar in the Bangor carpark of Sainsbury supermarket, was linked at the time to the South East Antrim UDA feud which claimed the life of his friend, Carrickfergus loyalist Geordie Gilmore, two months earlier. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. [38], Gregg was married with one son and two stepdaughters. A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole (the mural's location), Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley . When asked by the BBC in prison if he regretted anything about the shooting, his reply was: UDA mural in Greggs Rathcoole stronghold. The gang's boss in the Mount Vernon estate in north Belfast was another expelled. (I.R.A) History & Background. [22] Around this time Gregg spearheaded an initiative to significantly increase recruitment into the South East Antrim Brigade. Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. [33], Gregg's killing proved to be the undoing of Adair. His assassination attempt had made him a loyalist hero and he quickly took over from English as brigadier. "They will extort, they will assault, they will hold back their community in order to sustain their own business," he said. "Several UDA men told their bosses they wanted him shot dead while others wanted his knees done but they've been ordered by Fisher to leave him alone, for now. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. . [63][64] Patsy McGlone, Stephen Farry, Steve Aiken and Doug Beattie also condemned the attacks and were subsequently warned by the PSNI of threats from the South East Antrim UDA. The UDA member claimed the paramilitary group was heavily involved in serious crime in the south east Antrim area . South East Antrim brigade Den' Allo Allo' Elliott. Posted 2 years ago 2 years ago. [17] According to the Workers' Party (Ireland), English was stood down by the UDA after he had expressed willingness to enter into dialogue with them. [73] . "When we look at what they try and portray themselves to be, defenders of their area, I can't see how that ties in with dealing drugs in a community.". His 2IC (second-in-command) was also dismissed after being given a sickening . UDA boss Gary Fisher plots his exit strategy. [31], On 1 February 2003, along with another UDA member, Robert "Rab" Carson, Gregg was shot dead on Nelson Street, in the old Sailortown district near the Belfast docks, while travelling in a taxi after returning from Glasgow where he regularly went to Rangers F.C. Watch: Peter Crouch sings the Fields of Athenry with Liverpool fans in Dublin pub, We need government and we need it now Mary Lou McDonald. Under Fisher, the South East Antrim Brigade became close to the Shoukri brothers, who commanded the neighbouring North Belfast Brigade before being expelled from the UDA in June 2006. She was killed in 2005 and her remains hidden by the son of a veteran member of the Red Hand Commando - a UVF-affiliated group. [47] A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer was injured during the disturbance. A bomb attack on Adairs house on 8 January 2003 was blamed on Gregg by White, although Adair himself was returned to prison two days later after a dossier detailing his drug-dealing and racketeering activities was shown to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Paul Murphy. [53] Gilmore died the following day, with the incident described as part of an ongoing feud in the town. In return for ending criminality they have been promised 5m of funding for projects in loyalist areas from the 50m Fresh Start package to end paramilitarism. DCI John Caldwell: The New IRA threat after Omagh shooting, The Firm: Inside Lurgan and Portadowns cross-community crime gang. [89] The UVF leader in East Belfast, who is popularly known as the "Beast of the East" and "Ugly Doris" also known as by real name Stephen Matthews, ordered the attack on Catholic homes and a church in the Catholic enclave of the Short Strand. Representing the UVF was John 'Bunter' Graham and the organisation's 1st Battalion commander Harry Stockman. Wikizero - Ulster Volunteer Force . [51], On 13 March 2017 Geordie Gilmore, formerly a commander in the brigade until being stood down in 2016 following a dispute over drug money,[52] was shot in the neck in Carrickfergus. One of those was alleged Carrickfergus UDA commander Clifford Irons who was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine. Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, Whiskey fungus forces Jack Daniels to stop construction, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, UN to ignore remarks of India guru's fictional country, India court panel to probe Adani fraud allegations. Since his release, Shoukri had resumed his position as 'brigadier' of the north Belfast UDA while his brother Andre was in prison. The coffin was draped in the Ulster flag and the flag of the UFF. As a result of the attack, three Woodvale UDA members went to Gregg and complained about the attack. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. [26], Adair ignored the expulsion, erecting "West Belfast UDA - Business as Usual" banners on the Shankill Road, whilst continuing his struggles with the remaining brigadiers, Gregg in particular. [2], Gregg joined the Ulster Young Militants (UYM), the youth wing of the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Defence Association (UDA) at the age of 14. Rev Philip McAlister officiated at his funeral. New IRA powerbase just 20 miles away so why didnt intelligence flag possible attack? "The South East Antrim UDA were part of the UDA inner council," explained Jim McDowell, a former editor of the Sunday World newspaper. About Us; Staff; Camps; Scuba. They have a number of supply lines. [28] In response, three Woodvale UDA members went to Gregg and complained about the attack in a move Gregg saw as a threat. A senior police source once described him as a man driven by pure and absolute bigotry. The deal was discussed at a February meeting in London at the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. In the later 1980s Snoddy took ill with cancer and many of his duties as brigadier were filled by his ally Joe English. "And the blunder of the Housing Executive staff being threatened did him no favours either in the area.". This week, a BBC Spotlight programme on the murder of Glenn Quinn investigated the savagery at the heart of one of Northern Ireland's largest loyalist gangs - the South East Antrim Ulster Defence Association (UDA). [10], Gregg played the bass drum in the UDA-affiliated flute band Cloughfern Young Conquerors, a loyalist flute band which police claimed regularly caused trouble at Orange Order parades. The Reaper is coming for you. [20] This followed in summer 2002 when a community centre was taken over for this purpose although Gregg's UDA objected and daubed the building with the word "tout". Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. He's crossed a line and there are figures in the UDA who won't forget.". 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[9] Greggs fearsome reputation earned him the nickname the Reaper and he bore a tattoo of the Grim Reaper on his back as a tribute. [1][2] It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. Under Gregg the South-East Antrim Brigade were prepared to ignore the terms of the loyalist ceasefire, such as on 25 April 1997 when he dispatched a five-man team to Carrickfergus to set fire to a Catholic church in retaliation for a similar attack on a Protestant church in East Belfast (this earlier attack had actually been organised by dissident loyalists seeking to provoke the UDA into returning to violence). Free. By September 2002, Adair had even circulated stories to contacts in the media that Gregg was under death threat from the UDA. 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Located just inside the main entrance of Taipei City Hall, this is a good place to know the history and culture of Taipei City. id="addMyFavs"> Gregg had been a regular visitor to Ibrox Park for a number of years,[11] often in the company of Michael Stone, and had even picked up a conviction for violence at an Old Firm match. Gregg was born in 1957 and raised in a Protestant family from the Tigers Bay area of North Belfast. [6] His deputy Rab Carson was killed in the same attack, with both men having just returned from Scotland where they were attending a Rangers F.C. John Gregg (1957 1 February 2003) was a senior member of the UDA/UFF loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland. 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Formed in 1971 from a number of loyalist vigilante groups, the UDA's stated aims were to protect unionist communities from attacks by republican paramilitaries, but it went on to kill hundreds of people during the Troubles using a cover name - the Ulster Freedom Fighters. What makes a serial killer and why are we fascinated by them? [19] In late August 1997, the brigade became involved in simmering tensions with fellow loyalist paramilitaries in the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Gregg took this as a threat and, after complaining to senior figures in the West Belfast UDA, ordered the three men to be kneecapped. Gregg had been a regular visitor to Ibrox Park for a number of years. [13] The two clashed frequently and, in 1993, Adair even threatened to kill English after English had suggested that the UDA should not claim the murder of Marie Teresa Dowds de Mogollon, which Adair's top hitman Stephen McKeag had perpetrated. His 2IC (second-in-command) was also dismissed after being given a sickening baseball bat beating by other masked UVF members. [5], Gregg was sentenced to 18 years in prison; however, he only served nine years before he was released in 1993. A large portion of the cash was taken from a UVF-controlled taxi firm in which he holds a silent 25 per cent share. [67], Threats against journalists and politicians, Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, "Drugs seized in searches linked to South East Antrim UDA", "South East Antrim UDA: 'A criminal cartel wrapped in a flag', "UDA member speaks out about threats and criminality - BBC News", "UDA rebels decommission and condemn McDaid killing", "EXECUTED: Fourth feud killing in four days as loyalist assassins murder UVF man in his flat. Senior members of South East Antrim UDA want to take out . [32], When the taxi stopped at traffic lights close to the motorway, it was rammed by another taxi which had been hijacked earlier on the Shankill Road. "This isn't the end of it I wouldn't have thought. Brawls between the two had been frequent and tensions had been growing between the UDA and UVF leading to a drink-fuelled pitched battle between the two groups at the train station. A volley of shots was fired over his coffin by UDA gunmen outside his Rathcoole home. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. As head of a cash-rich organised crime gang, Fisher has amassed a considerable personal wealth, but even as brigadier his hands are tied when it comes to walking away. The UDA structure was divided into six geographical areas during the late 1980s (Londonderry, South-East Antrim, North Belfast, East Belfast, West Belfast and South Belfast). 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