Two held by gardaí over murder of teenager

Two people were being questioned by gardaí last night in connection with the murder of a teenager in Co Meath last Friday.

Two people were being questioned by gardaí last night in connection with the murder of a teenager in Co Meath last Friday.

A further five people arrested in Dublin and Cork in relation to separate drugs finds valued at over €6 million have been released by gardaí.

A man and woman were arrested on Friday evening in west Dublin in connection with the killing of Sumbo Owoiya (17), a Nigerian national.

Mr Owoiya went to answer a call to the door of his apartment at The Court, Dunboyne Castle, Dunboyne, Co Meath, early on Friday morning when one of the callers fired a shotgun through the door, fatally injuring him.

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Gardaí believe Mr Owoiya was singled out by two men and a woman after he became embroiled in a dispute with people from west Dublin over his alleged role in a recent assault.

The woman complained to gardaí that she had been assaulted, but did not make a formal statement. Gardaí believe people close to her decided to settle the matter by carrying out the shooting shortly before 2am on Friday.

However, detectives are working on the theory that those behind the shooting were intent on wounding the teenager, rather than killing him. They believe the shooting went wrong and Mr Owoiya was fatally injured in error.

While the shooting is believed to be linked to the allegations of assault, Mr Owoiya was not under formal investigation by gardaí at the time of his death.

The man being questioned last night surrendered himself at Ballyfermot Garda station on Friday afternoon.

The woman was arrested later on Friday and was being questioned at Clondalkin Garda station.

Both are detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for 72 hours without charge. Gardaí believe another man was at the scene of the Dunboyne shooting and they were actively seeking him last night.

Meanwhile, two men were released yesterday after their arrest on Thursday evening when gardaí found drugs valued at over €6 million at a premises in Cornelscourt, south Dublin. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. The haul included cannabis, cocaine, heroin and ecstasy. It was found by gardaí from the divisional drug unit based at Dundrum Garda station after a lengthy operation into a major drugs gang operating in south Dublin and Wicklow.

The gang's leader, who was not one of the two arrested, has been a major target for gardaí in south Dublin and north Wicklow for some time.

Three people arrested in Cork on Friday in connection with a drugs find at Leamlara in the east of the county have also been released. The three - a man and two women - were arrested after the drugs were found at 7am on Friday.

It was initially believed the haul was cocaine valued at €500,000. However, gardaí are now satisfied it was amphetamine valued at around €60,000. A file is being prepared for the DPP.

Conor Lally

Conor Lally

Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times