SIndo: "Dissident republicans in bomb trade with gangs"

[pete2]

Sunday April 19 2009
DISSIDENT republicans.. are involved in an increasing cross-border trade in drugs and weapons with Dublin criminals.

The PSNI last month discovered a large consignment of cannabis which had been supplied to west Belfast dissidents by a west Dublin gang with no known republican links, who drove the consignment north.

The dissidents' links with the drugs trade in Dublin are well established, with republicans supplying increasing numbers of pipe bombs to drugs gangs for sums reported to be as much as €30,000. The bombs made by the dissidents are showing signs of increasing sophistication -- a development which is causing alarm to security forces on both sides of the border...

According to republican sources in the North, the dissidents in both Derry and Belfast are involved in the drugs trade and in extorting money from non-aligned drug dealers. The Belfast dissidents have even teamed up with former loyalist terrorists who have long been involved in the drugs trade, sharing shipments of drugs smuggled in from Spain...

The article then goes on to imagine violence around the marching season originating (it says) from a shift in support to anti-GFA. It talks about a "senior" provo in N.Belfast moving to anti-GFA position. Then it provides largely redundant "context" on anti-GFA to this point in time.

Dissident republicans in bomb trade with gangs - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

A related piece on marching season threats
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Dis...des.5182854.jp

[DUP European election candidate Diane Dodds] said: "Recent speculation about a dissident republican campaign to cause civil strife around parades has been fuelled by the public comments of the mouthpieces of these terrorist criminal gangs.

"It shows us that there is a clear and present danger posed to the Loyal Orders in general and the Orange Order in particular by the dissident republican terrorists.

"We have already seen these cowards resorting to arson attacks on halls throughout the country. Now it would appear they intend to step their wicked campaign up a gear.

"I would appeal to rank-and-file unionists and members of the Loyal Orders to stand together and refuse to be intimidated by these murdering thugs."