IRELAND'S ORIGINAL drug kingpin has died at the age of 72.
Notorious gangster Larry Dunne passed away in St James' Hospital, Dublin, on Monday after being rushed to the emergency room via ambulance from his home in Rathfarnham.
While Dunne is understood to have been suffering with a long-term illness, The Irish Mirror reports that he was bleeding from apparent knife wounds when he was rushed to hospital-- however Gardaí have said they are not seeking anyone else in connection with his death.
Dunne gained notoriety across Ireland for his ruthless violence and the creation of a drug underworld in the capital city, having been the first Dublin drug dealer to organise groups of young "runners" to carry heroin, forcing many to remain in the drugs trade, according to RTÉ.
Larry Dunne outside Dublin's Four Courts in 1985 (Photo: Eamonn Farrel / Rollingnews.ie)He is widely regarded as having been the first to introduce heroin to Dublin in the 1970's, a drug which has destroyed thousands of lives and affected generations, through his connections with British drug dealers.
The gangster is acknowledged as having created countless drugs gangs which have terrorised communities across the country for decades-- something he did knowingly and willingly.
In 1985, after being sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking, he warned "If you think we were bad, wait until you see what's coming after us".
The notorious criminal had racked up over 40 criminal convictions in his lifetime.
See More: Dublin, Gangster, Heroin, Larry Dunne
