AN Army colonel “exaggerated” the scale of smuggling in south Armagh to the Secretary of State in 1989, resulting in an operation which cost the lives of two senior RUC officers then tasked to deal with the issue.
Those were the claims made yesterday by a former south Armagh RUC deputy divisional commander speaking at the Smithwick Tribunal in Dublin.
Named only as Witness 39, he served as deputy to RUC Chief Supt Harry Breen, who along with Supt Robert Buchanan was murdered by the IRA in south Armagh on March 20, 1989 as they began to plan an operation against smuggling and Thomas “Slab” Murphy.
The Smithwick Tribunal is investigating claims of Garda-IRA collusion in the murders of the two officers.
Witness 39 told the tribunal yesterday that the exaggerated claims of smuggling were put to Secretary of State Tom King on March 6, 1989. He said that Mr Breen was directed by the Chief Constable to launch a full review of the matter seven to 10 days later, and that Mr Breen and his colleague Mr Buchanan were murdered after meeting the Garda about the matter on March 20 – only 14 days after the colonel made his claims.
On March 6, Mr Breen attended a dinner at Stormont with the Secretary of State.
“Harry mentioned the dinner to me,” Witness 39 said.
Mr Breen had said an unnamed colonel had raised border smuggling with Mr King at the dinner. The witness did not know the colonel by name but he “assumed” it was the colonel for south Armagh and that it was the same colonel he met again the day after the murders.
The witness said Mr Breen was partly unhappy about the discussions at the dinner because he had no proper notice that the colonel was going to raise fuel smuggling with Mr King.
“But he [Breen] also felt there was exaggeration in the briefing the colonel gave to the Secretary of State.”
Asked if the resulting operation was to be against Slab Murphy, the witness said “certainly everyone wanted something done”.
A “direction” on smuggling to Mr Breen came from RUC headquarters seven to 10 days after the dinner, making reference to the Northern Ireland Office and the General Officer Commanding of the Army in Northern Ireland. It said the Chief Constable wanted “a full report [on smuggling] involving the Garda view” .
“He [the Chief Constable] would like to know if our procedures for dealing with smuggling are adequate.”
It concluded: “Treat as urgent.”
Witness 39 said that Mr Breen had told him that he had to arrange a meeting with the Garda in Dundalk and he did not seem happy about it.
He added that Mr Breen was “unhappy with the whole situation of the visit to Dundalk”.
Asked if the meeting was to take place on Monday, March 20, the witness said: “Yes, I assumed it would.”
However, although the witness knew Mr Breen did not like going to Dundalk, he did not know specifically why.
“He knew there was a risk involved.”
Exactly when the meeting with Garda in Dundalk was confirmed is critical in determining whether the murders may have been planned using advance information leaked by a mole, or by simply following the police officers’ car.
The witness said he had offered to travel to the fateful meeting in Dundalk but Mr Breen declined his offer as Witness 39 had planned to be on leave to do some gardening that week. Mr Breen said he asked Mr Buchanan to go with him instead, the witness said.
It was on their return journey from the meeting that they were ambushed by the IRA in a blind spot on the Edenappa Road in south Armagh, hidden from Army watchtowers by trees.
Witness 39 said he had never had any intelligence briefing to be aware of an IRA mole in Dundalk station – a key allegation being examined in the tribunal – nor did he hear any suggestion of it in the days after the murders took place.
He also said Chief Constable Jack Hermon had met with him personally after the murders.
“He was a bit disturbed she [Mr Breen’s widow] didn’t want him at the funeral and he wanted to know should he go and see her,” he said.
The witness described Mr Breen as “very obliging” and “well respected” among his officers and non-exacting about the time-keeping of Witness 39, who lived some distance from his workplace.