Liam Roe Liam Roe. Photo: RIP Kinahan cartel associate Liam Roe (45) has died in hospital. Roe, from Drimnagh had been treated at St James’ Hospital for a blood disorder and sepsis and had been gravely ill for a number of days.
A number of his family members were beside his side when he passed away today and tributes to the cartel member have been posted online by family and friends. Despite keeping a low profile in recent years Roe was considered one of the most senior members of the cartel based in Ireland. He had not been in good health in recent times, according to sources.
A first cousin of brothers Liam and the murdered David Byrne, ‘Bop’ as he was nicknamed was involved in organised crime for most of his adult life. Liam Roe. Photo: RIP A notice on RIP.
ie said Roe died “peacefully surrounded by his loving family and very close friends in the wonderful care of the staff at St. James Hospital.” The notice described him as the “beloved son of Seamus and the late Ann”.
"Liam will be sadly missed by his loving dad, his heartbroken partner Niamh, adored stepchildren Mia and Ashton, aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives and a wide circle of friends.” Roe’s funeral will take place in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, Mourne Road, Drimnagh on Friday morning, followed by burial in Bohernabreena Cemetery. Roe was a prime target of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) in its fight to seize some €1.
4m worth of assets from the Byrne crime organisation. He was Liam Byrne's constant companion and "an integral part of the crime gang" before Byrne fled the country and was jailed in the UK where he is facing firearms charges. Roe previously claimed in a CAB case that he was unemployed, relying on his father's financial support and on friends for transport.
But he was once stopped at Dublin Airport with €60,000 in his check-in bag. When challenged, he produced a bank account which showed a balance of €294,000. His lavish lifestyle was laid bare in court, including a number of holidays to luxury destinations.
He took six trips in one year to the UK, America and Spain, taking in Conor McGregor's fight with Chad Mendes in Las Vegas in July 2015. As part of the CAB investigation the bureau seized an Audi A5 car and a Kawasaki motorbike worth a total of €38,000 from Roe. Roe has also been targeted during the long-running Hutch/Kinahan feud, but survived after a gunman's handgun jammed.
He was standing outside having a cigarette when he was approached by a Hutch gang hitman. He survived when the gun jammed and failed to fire The incident happened at the Red Cow Hotel in November 2015, and resulted in increased tensions between the feuding gangs three months before the Regency Hotel bloodbath. Roe was present during the Regency shooting in February, 2016, and pictured outside the hotel with associates after his first cousin David Byrne was killed.
In August, 2016, Roe was arrested as part of a money laundering investigation into the cartel but was later released without charge. Unlike many of his criminal associates, Roe never fled the country when the feud with the Hutch mob and associated garda crackdown began. Roe was arrested in 2007 over allegations that he had threatened to kill a bouncer at a pub in Dame Street.
He was also fined €250 for obstructing a garda drugs search after an incident in 2009 . In 2012, Roe was given a four-month jail sentence after gardai raided his apartment and found stolen designer handbags worth nearly €9,000. In November, 2012, he failed in an attempt to get gardai to return two Rolex watches worth almost €50,000 which they seized in a search for firearms at a property in Crumlin in January, 2011.
Roe failed in his police property application after a judge ruled that he had lied in the witness box and described Roe's evidence at the Circuit Court hearing as false. Last year Roe was involved in a campaign of intimidation against innocent Dublin families after a woman was assaulted at a house party. Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.
