Two gunmen contracted by an organised crime gang to murder another gang member have been jailed for eleven and ten years respectively.

Both men were sentenced to 12 years at the Special Criminal Court but had the remainder of the terms suspended.

The two Dublin men were caught during a surveillance operation by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Unit investigating the activities of the Kinahan crime cartel.

Gary Gleeson, 34, from Muskerry Road in Ballyfermot, and Stephen Dunne, 39, of Meile an Ri Drive in Lucan, discussed how they needed to aim for "head shots" or they would not get paid.

Both pleaded guilty to firearms offences after a loaded gun was found in their van when it was stopped on the Naas Road in Crumlin on 7 August 2017.

Gleeson had one year of his sentence suspended and Dunne had two years suspended.

The two men were on their way to shoot gang member Michael Frazer who would not co-operate with the garda investigation

Gardaí discovered a tracker on Frazer's van, and bugged another van - the one the two men were using.

It was branded with fictitious markings, including phone numbers and an email address. It was registered to a man at a fictitious address.

In conversations recorded by gardaí when they bugged the van, Gleeson said: "Aim for the head, yeah? Have to get him in the head. Head shots or we won't get f***** paid."

Dunne replies: "As soon we block him I'm going to let a shot off in the van yeah, and then once I get him a bit I'll keep walking towards him, I'll just keep shooting, yeah."

To which Gleeson replies: "Riddle him."

A shipment of drugs worth €80,000 had previously been lost and Gleeson was having a "bad time" with the drug dealers who wanted their money back. His family became involved in the dispute.

Gardaí discovered a round in the breach of the handgun in the footwell of the van when the two men were arrested, but the bullets in the magazine had been loaded backwards and would not have fired

A can of petrol, a lighter and rubber gloves, as well as a small amount of cocaine were also found.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt described the conversations as "disturbing" and said even though it was shambolic, confused and ill-prepared it was nonetheless a dangerous and outrageous escapade.