A bullet hole in a van window pictured this morning at the scene of a fatal shooting on Castlemartin Drive, Bettystown. Photo: Collins

A major drugs trafficker became the second murder victim in the Drogheda feud when he was shot six times outside his home.

Father-of-two Richie Carberry (39) was gunned down after getting out of his car on the Castlemartin Drive estate in Bettystown, Co Meath, at 11.40pm on Monday.

It is understood the gunman had been waiting for Carberry, who is originally from Coolock, Dublin, and was classified as one of the main players in the Drogheda feud.

He was shot a number of times in the back and arm as he attempted to flee the gunman. His body was found outside his home on a footpath.

Carberry had been officially warned by gardaí that his life was under grave threat and he previously survived a murder attempt at his home in Bettystown on the night of March 5.

After that incident, he installed bullet-proof windows at his quiet cul-de-sac property, which is close to Bettystown village.

On Monday night, emergency services rushed to the scene and Carberry was taken by ambulance to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda but he was pronounced dead about 1am.

A van, believed to be used as a getaway vehicle, was found on fire on Eastham Road less than 1km away.

Expand Close A burnt-out car found nearby Gerry Mooney / Facebook

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Whatsapp A burnt-out car found nearby

Yesterday, gardaí revealed three cars were struck by bullets during the gun attack.

Superintendent Fergus Dwyer, of Ashbourne garda station, told a press conference this was a matter of grave concern for gardaí.

"Some of those bullets could have gone through a window of a house here. As you see, this is a residential area, a lot of families, a lot of young children," he said.

Supt Dwyer also confirmed the victim knew his life was in danger.

Expand Close Search: Gardaí examine a car with a bullet hole in it at the scene in Bettystown Gardai at the scene of a fatal shooting in Bettystown Co. Meath where Richard Carberry was gunned down outside his home. Picture; Gerry Mooney / Facebook

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Whatsapp Search: Gardaí examine a car with a bullet hole in it at the scene in Bettystown

Since March there has been an increase in Garda patrols on the Castlemartin estate and gardaí were in the area just half an hour before the murder took place.

But this was not enough to save Carberry - who detectives believe had been "directing the operations" of two criminal brothers from Drogheda.

The pair have been at war with associates of paralysed criminal Owen Maguire for over a year and a half.

Carberry first became a key target for the Maguire gang because an innocent woman known to him is "on very friendly terms" with a currently jailed gunman, who is the chief suspect for the botched gangland hit on Maguire which fanned the feud.

The Maguire faction also blamed Carberry for supplying the weapons used in that gun attack.

In revenge, the Maguire gang is suspected of burning out Carberry's new home in the Balrath area of Co Meath in October of last year in a sinister arson attack which was investigated by Navan gardaí.

"Carberry was a major league criminal but his senior role in the Drogheda feud seems to be his undoing," a source said.

"But he was involved in other disputes including with a veteran north Dublin drug dealer who had been demanding cash from Carberry in recent times.

"These cash demands relate to an incident in which Carberry lost €700,000 of the drug dealer's cash when he got robbed by a Moroccan gang in Holland a number of years ago."

Senior sources say Carberry had a "major stake" in €3.2m of cannabis herb seized in Co Louth last week.

Irish Independent