The Westies was the name given by the Irish media to a criminal gang based in

Blanchardstown Blanchardstown () is a large outer suburb of Dublin in the modern Counties of Ireland, county of Fingal, Ireland. Located northwest of Dublin city centre, it has developed since the 1960s from a small village to a point where Greater Blanchards ...

, west

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland. They controlled the heroin trade in west Dublin in the late 90s and early 2000s and were known for their extreme violence against drug addicts and rival drug dealers. The gang, who were also involved in armed robberies and extortion, imploded after the murders of all of its leaders. Bernard 'Verb' Sugg (23) was shot dead by two masked men in a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in Blanchardstown in August 2003. Shane Coates (31) and Stephen Sugg (27) went missing in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

in 2004. Their bodies were found buried under concrete in a warehouse near

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

in July 2006. Both had been shot in the head. Spanish police suspect they were killed after crossing another group of Irish gangsters based in Spain. Coates had fled to Spain after being injured in a shoot-out with Gardaí in

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

in 2003. In April 2005, Andrew Glennon (30) was shot dead after being ambushed by at least four gunmen near his home in

Clonee Clonee () is a village and a townland in County Meath, Ireland. It borders Fingal to the east at the townlands of Huntstown and Littlepace, and is sometimes used in addresses for housing in those townlands. The River Tolka passes the village. G ...

. His brother Mark (32) was shot dead outside his home in Blanchardstown by a lone gunman five months later.

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Further reading