New leadership of Republican group issues warning to drug dealers

A dissident republican group has issued a chilling threat, saying it will “take action” against drug dealers in the north west.

An organisation calling itself Republican Defence Army has said that it is under new leadership and is “armed and resourced”.

In a statement passed onto Donegal Live, the RDA has vowed to “rid our communities of this scourge”.

An accompanying photograph shows five masked men, dressed in military clothing. Two of the men are holding what appear to be automatic pistols while a third is also seen to be armed with a similar firearm while two others are holding large photos of former Provisional IRA members Pearse McAuley - a convicted Garda killer - and Don Brolly, who both died in 2024. 

The RDA statement was issued on the first anniversary of McAuley’s death last March.

“We the RDA, under new leadership, are aware of numerous criminals supplying and dealing in drugs within our communities,” the statement, signed ‘The leadership of RDA’, said. 

“We urge all those to desist and remove themselves from within our communities or we will be forced to act on the information we have received and are continually gathering.

“We are armed and resourced and continue to monitor these anti-social activities and we remain committed to rid our communities of this scourge.

“Our message is very clear and simple, we know who you are, we know where you live and we will take action at the appropriate time, as we will not continue to allow drug dealers to poison the members of our communities. 

“We will not stand by and watch the weak and vulnerable within our communities being targeted, nor will we stand idly by and allow anyone to instil fear through anti-social behaviour or indeed any behaviour that puts anyone at risk.”

The group claims to be “advocates of the Peace Process”, but says it will “render the appropriate punishment if and when appropriate” against criminals whose actions they say are “decimating communities”.

“You have been warned,” the statement says.

The RDA first emerged in 2006, described as a “maverick faction” when some members appeared at the graveside of a Republican that summer. 

In January 2008 the group claimed responsibility for shooting a man, aged in his 30s, in both legs at Carrickmore, St Johnston. A white Vauxhall Cavalier, which the three masked assailants were travelling in, was later found burned out just off the main Letterkenny-Lifford road.

In images given to Donegal Live, the new group is seen holding images of McAuley and Brolly.

In 1999 McAuley was convicted of the manslaughter of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe during the course of an armed robbery and sentenced to 14 years in jail.

Having been released after serving 10 years, he was subsequently sentenced to 12 years for stabbing his estranged wife, Pauline Tully, with a steak knife at her home on Christmas Eve in 2014.

After being freed in 2020, McAuley was found dead at his home in his native Strabane last March.

Prominent Lifford Republican Brolly, nicknamed ‘Busty’ was laid to rest in Lifford in October.

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His coffin was draped in the Irish tricolour and men wearing sunglasses, white shirts, black ties and black gloves flanked the pallbearers on the route to the Church.  A black beret and gloves rested atop as his remains were taken to St Patrick’s Church in Murlog for the funeral Mass.