A well-known dissident republican has threatened to shoot the drug dealer who supplied the deadly ecstasy tablets that killed a West Belfast DJ last month – because his kids were at the same party.

The Twinbrook man called to the Turf Lodge home of the dealer days after Gerard Mulholland died from taking the ‘Speckled Rolex’ tablets at a flat party in Thornhill Court in late December.

The motivation for the threat is believed to be that the republican’s two children were at the same party where the deadly drugs were distributed and had taken the same tablets.  It is believed that one of his children, a daughter, took ill after taking the same tablets that claimed the life of Gerard Mulholland. The man called to the door of the local dealer and put the accusations to him before warning that he would be shot.

As a former member of óglaigh na héireann (ONH) who did time in Maghaberry, the man who made the threats was behind a number of extortion demands to raise money for the group but was then kicked out for pocketing cash.

He quickly aligned himself with the Irish Volunteers group, of which his son is a member, but has since joined the criminal gang that killed Danny McKay in North Belfast in 2012 – that gang goes under the name Action Against Drugs.

The man’s son, a well-known Twinbrook criminal, was shot by ONH while the father was serving time for them in prison.

“He has made this threat to the dealer not out of honour or a crusade against drugs,” said our source, “but because it could have personally affected him because his kids were at the same party and they took the same deadly drugs.”

“He is just someone who moves around the dissident houses extorting money anywhere he can and seeing what he can get.  He was also the source of the counterfeit currency being passed to West Belfast businesses in 2013. Money is his motivation.”

In incidents unrelated to the fatal party drug, two other drug dealers have been threatened in Turf Lodge.  One has fled Belfast after he was sent a bullet in the post with a demand for £10,000 by the CIRA.  Another has been welcomed into the CIRA after being threatened by an unnamed dissident group.  It’s believed the CIRA took  the dealer under their protection as he is the boyfriend of a CIRA faction leader’s  daughter, the faction that killed Kieran McManus at Domino’s Pizza last year.

An alleged drug dealer is also in hiding following a recent gun attack. The man was targeted in an extortion attempt to the tune of £20,000. But when he failed to pay up a shotgun was discharged near his home.

He has now left the area in fear of his life, according to our sources.