In a move that was not universally popular in the region, Fisher allowed the Shoukris and their ally Alan McClean to live under South East Antrim Brigade protection and even attend meetings of the brigade's commanders. [59], On 3 January 2019 police reported a baby in a pram narrowly escaped injury after homes were attacked in Co Down by South East Antrim UDA members. . "The South East Antrim UDA were part of the UDA inner council," explained Jim McDowell, a former editor of the Sunday World newspaper. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. [6] The Irish News described the brigade as 'powerful' and at one time being 'the most bloody and murderous gang operating within the paramilitary organisation'. The views and opinions expressed in this documentary/ies and page are soley intended to educate and provide background information to those interested in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. Catholic workman Gary Moore was killed in Monkstown in 2000 in another killing attributed to Greggs unit. [89] The UVF leader in East Belfast, who is popularly known as the "Beast of the East" and "Ugly Doris" also known as by real name Stephen Matthews, ordered the attack on Catholic homes and a church in the Catholic enclave of the Short Strand. As a result of the attack, three Woodvale UDA members went to Gregg and complained about the attack. His role in the murder was covered up for years by his father's best friend - the deposed UVF South East Antrim commander. [22] Around this time Gregg spearheaded an initiative to significantly increase recruitment into the South East Antrim Brigade. Greggs movements were known to C Company member Alan McCullough who, receiving instruction from Adair (then in HMP Maghaberry), arranged for a hit team to kill Gregg and his associate as the taxi took them from the port of Belfast. Fisher is no longer the main man in South East Antrim, he has seen his close circle of trusted sidekicks dissolve. [84] A DEPOSED UVF boss is suspected of stealing more than 250,000 from the terror gang over the past five years. During the course of the melee a Shankill Protestant Boys member managed to gouge out Gregg's eye. Gregg had been a regular visitor to Ibrox Park for a number of years,[11] often in the company of Michael Stone, and had even picked up a conviction for violence at an Old Firm match. Stream Rab C - South East Antrim(loyalist) by Mugs1911 on desktop and mobile. "And if they are a defender of anything, it is their own criminal interests.". Under Gregg, the South East Antrim Brigade was linked to the killing of UVF member Mark Quail during Adair's feud with the UVF in 2000[25][26] although according to the BBC the killing was not directly connected to Adair's issues with the UVF but rather stemmed from a pub dispute in north Belfast between members of the two paramilitary groups. [1][2] It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. South East Antrim UDA crime boss Gary Fisher is facing an internal revolt with even his closest lieutenants saying his time is up. Gregg was also characterised as a bully, a racketeer, and a sectarian bigot who took particular delight in carrying out vicious punishment attacks and randomly targeting Roman Catholics.. SouthEast Antrim UDA crime boss Gary Fisher is facing an internal revolt with even his closest lieutenants saying his time is up. Adams was hit five times in the attack but the taxi rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he received treatment and survived. He sought to portray Gregg as unstable and thuggish and spread a rumour that he was about to be replaced as brigadier. A rebel UDA unit is re-arming in a grim warning to rival drug dealers. 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Belfast Books Thanks for promoting my book mate. Posted 2 years ago 2 years ago. Read about our approach to external linking. UDA members turned out in force yesterday for the funeral of Mr Robert Carson, who was gunned down alongside the east Antrim UDA "brigadier", Mr John Gregg, in Belfast's docks area at the weekend. Law enforcement agencies see the loosening of Fisher's control as an opportunity. The gang's boss in the Mount Vernon estate in north Belfast was another expelled. Gregg was the most senior UDA member killed since South Belfast brigadier John McMichael was blown up by the IRA in 1987. Police confirmed that they were treating it as part of the existing feud. Simms' demise was the catalyst for the disintegration of Fisher's power base. From the 1990s until he was shot dead in 2003 by rival associates, Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's South East Antrim Brigade. The south Belfast, south-east Antrim and east Belfast brigadiers . A mural in support of the group lists its areas of activity as being Rathcoole (the mural's location), Rathfern, Monkstown, Glengormley . The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. Despite his reputation for gangsterism, Greggs failed attack on Gerry Adams had afforded him legendary status and, under the direction of Jackie McDonald, the remaining UDA brigadiers concluded that Adair had to be removed. A man described in court as the commander of the UDA in South East Antrim is one of four men charged with conspiring to supply cocaine. Carson was described by UDA sources as a dear friend of Greggs and a junior member of the South-East Antrim Brigade. . On 6 January 2010, the UDA announced that it had put its weapons "verifiably beyond use". Senior members of the UDA group want to take out the UVF member who they think is a 'tout'. He said there were about 2,000 members of the UDA in the south east Antrim . In late August, Adair had even managed to have Gregg stood down as Brigadier for "not being militant enough" and replaced by one of Adair's own associates. The brigade representatives refused to give any details about how many weapons or how much commercial explosives were destroyed during the day-long exercise. It's believed he fears sparking a new intra-loyalist feud, piling even more pressure on the faction which has been facing a police crackdown. [47] A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer was injured during the disturbance. [24], Gregg was not close to Johnny Adair but sympathised with his uncompromising attitudes and his anti-UVF views. However, one major obstacle to overcome before any deal can be agreed is the recovery of the body of missing murder victim Lisa Dorrian. [18] In 2000, he helped to ensure that a proposal before the Inner Council to initiate the decommissioning of weapons was rejected. "Some families had no involvement in drugs at all but still had to pay to escape being put out, or even worse. "When Gary was in complete control, there would have been no suggestion of any leaks, it was a tight, tight operation. Gregg was the most senior UDA member killed since South Belfast brigadier John McMichael was blown up by the IRA in 1987. The Sunday World understands he is desperate for an exit strategy that will take him out of the firing line. [34] A bomb attack on Adair's house on 8 January 2003 was blamed on Gregg by John White. UVF chiefs fear that any deal they do with the British government about going out of business in return for funding and an amnesty will be dependent on Lisa's body being returned to her heartbroken family. Greggs killing proved to be the undoing of Adair. He's crossed a line and there are figures in the UDA who won't forget.". The new Irish Sea Border: What does it mean? Snoddy was close to UDA leader Andy Tyrie and was recognised as one of his closest allies amongst the UDA leadership.[7]. [9] Gregg's fearsome reputation earned him the nickname "the Reaper" and he bore a tattoo of the Grim Reaper on his back as a tribute. A UDA/UFF South-East Antrim Brigade mural in Newtownabbey On 6 January 2010, the UDA announced that it had put its weapons "verifiably beyond use". [46], In March 2014 the South East Antrim Brigade was widely reported as being behind a "rampage" in which up to 100 people, some of them wearing masks, attacked a number of residential properties in Larne. Gregg when explaining his family background, revealed that his father, regarded as a quiet man, had trust in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army but joined the loyalist vigilante groups set up around the start of the Troubles ostensibly to protect the Protestant community from attacks by republicans. [12] As the oldest member, English usually chaired the meetings of this Inner Council, although he often struggled to control UDA West Belfast Brigade brigadier Johnny Adair. [27], However, in late 2002 a UDA member originally from the Woodvale Road who had moved to Rathcoole was attacked after it emerged that he was a friend of Joe English, the former brigadier who had since been exiled from the area by Gregg for his anti-drugs stance. Gregg's movements were known to C Company member Alan McCullough who, receiving instruction from Adair (then in HMP Maghaberry), arranged for a hit team to kill Gregg and his associate as the taxi took them from the port of Belfast. Brawls between the two had been frequent and tensions had been growing between the UDA and UVF leading to a drink-fuelled pitched battle between the two groups at the train station. "Drugs is the big one. Brawls between the two had been frequent and tensions had been growing between the UDA and UVF, leading to a drink-fuelled pitched battle between the two groups at the train station. [62], On 8 May 2020 a number of journalists working for the Sunday Life and Sunday World newspapers were warned by the PSNI about imminent attacks against journalists by the South East Antrim UDA. [1] Gregg was also characterised as "a bully, a racketeer, and a sectarian bigot who took particular delight in carrying out vicious punishment attacks and randomly targeting Roman Catholics. When asked by the BBC in prison if he regretted anything about the shooting, his reply was: UDA mural in Greggs Rathcoole stronghold. Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Tipperary Tim astounding 1928 Grand National winner at 100/1 & a proud resident of Glencairn ! [3], Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, "BBC NEWS | Programmes | Panorama | John "Grug" Gregg", "Loyalists on brink of war as UDA chief is shot dead | UK news", "Assassin is kicked out of top UDA post | UK news", "Retaliation inevitable - Just a matter of when", "UDA leaders son gets record payout UTV News", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Gregg_(loyalist)&oldid=1118219468, This page was last edited on 25 October 2022, at 19:42. The UDA South East Antrim Brigade was previously one of the six brigades of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and are heavily involved in the drug trade. And now it's emerged the UVF heavy has also given a separate list of UDA-linked dealers to the cops. [30] A bomb attack on Adair's house on 8 January 2003 was blamed on Gregg by White, although Adair himself was returned to prison two days later after a dossier detailing his drug-dealing and racketeering activities was shown to Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Paul Murphy. [11], As brigadier Joe English enjoyed, theoretically, more power than his predecessor, as Andy Tyrie had been removed from the UDA leadership and replaced by a collective leadership of the movement's six brigadiers, including English. According to a recent MI5/police intelligence assessment shared with Spotlight, the South East Antrim UDA "has access to arms" and is "heavily involved in drugs supply, community coercion, intimidation and other criminality". It's very difficult to deal with the issue of their control, because of the fear that they just instil into people.". In late August 1997 this band was one of a number of similar flute bands to travel to Derry for the annual Apprentice Boys of Derry march through the city centre. He told author Ian S. Wood that he had only supported the Combined Loyalist Military Command ceasefire in an effort to ensure the release of imprisoned friends. [43] Accusations that the brigade has remained active continued, however, and in 2009, the mother of Jason Ballard, a 20-year-old Greenisland native subjected to a vicious beating at his home, claimed that the attack had been carried out by the South East Antrim Brigade, although they denied any involvement in the attack. The South East Antrim UDA's tally of violence spanning two decades includes a roll call of unsolved murders. "The vast majority of it comes in from down south, from one of the well-known crime gangs down there. Three men were acquitted of his murder. [45] As of 2014 Fisher was still identified by the Irish Independent as Brigadier, with the brigade reported as being in the process of rearming. [67], Threats against journalists and politicians, Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, "Drugs seized in searches linked to South East Antrim UDA", "South East Antrim UDA: 'A criminal cartel wrapped in a flag', "UDA member speaks out about threats and criminality - BBC News", "UDA rebels decommission and condemn McDaid killing", "EXECUTED: Fourth feud killing in four days as loyalist assassins murder UVF man in his flat. [15] English was a strong advocate of political means and pushed for the UDA to call a ceasefire in the early 1990s, a position that was anathema, at that point, to Adair. The Reaper is coming for you. Former PSNI superintendent Ken Pennington said he considers them to be "a criminal cartel that have wrapped themselves in a flag". The shootings raised some anger on the Shankill, where the three were well-liked figures, and Adair sought to exploit this as a method of getting rid of Gregg. Widely known as a man with a fearsome reputation, Gregg was considered a hawk in loyalist circles. Tensions between the terror groups is already high, with the UVF trying to muscle in and exploit tensions within Fisher's gang to increase their authority in the Rathcoole estate. However, this proved short-lived. [4] The attack had been known in advance by security forces due to a tip-off from informants within Rathcoole; Adams and his co-passengers had survived in part because Royal Ulster Constabulary officers, acting on the informants' information, had replaced much of the ammunition in the UDA's Rathcoole weapons dump with low-velocity bullets. At the service on 6 February, UVF/RHC representatives joined the UDA leadership in a show of anti-Adair solidarity. [5], Gregg was sentenced to 18 years in prison; however, he only served nine years before he was released in 1993. There is a belief in the organisation that the Task Force is building a case against Fisher and senior figures in SEA are content to leave him in place. It is claimed they control "100%" of an illegal drugs network in south-east Antrim, Northern Ireland. The deal was discussed at a February meeting in London at the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Carrickfergus is a town that once inspired a classic Irish folk song about longing. A UDA member originally from the Woodvale Road had moved to Rathcoole where he had been beaten up after it emerged that he was a friend of Joe English, the former brigadier who had been exiled from the estate by Gregg for his anti-drugs stance. Security sources say that with more than 2,000 members, the South East Antrim UDA is one of Northern Ireland's largest paramilitary gangs. In the later 1980s Snoddy took ill with cancer and many of his duties as brigadier were filled by his ally Joe English. [6] His deputy Rab Carson was killed in the same attack, with both men having just returned from Scotland where they were attending a Rangers F.C. The 47-year-old had no connections to any paramilitary gang, but was beaten to death in his home in January 2020 after being threatened by the group. From the 1990s until his shooting death in 2003 by rival associates, Gregg served as brigadier of the UDA's South East Antrim Brigade. 25.043611 121.5625. The juxtaposition of this initiative with the name of Gregg was condemned by the mother of a Catholic who had been killed by members of the South-East Antrim Brigade in 2000 as she argued "it's sickening to call it the Gregg initiative when he was a ruthless terrorist.Everyone goes on about Johnny Adair but they're all as bad as each other". 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