Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 4658Organised crime · Co. Dublin

Man known as Mr Big arrested in Dublin during gangland crackdown

Gardaí arrested a man in his 40s, reported as known as Mr Big, and a woman in her 40s over alleged organised crime offences linked to the Louth area. Sources date the arrests to Wednesday morning, 5 November 2025, and place them in the North East region. Both were detained in Dublin Region Garda stations under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, and both have links to Robbie Lawlor, who was shot dead on 4 April 2020 in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast. The latest report says the man was arrested in Dublin on the morning of 6 November 2025 and is being questioned at a Dublin Garda station under anti-gangland legislation, with gardaí able to hold him for up to seven days.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrested5 Nov
    2 reports
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • A man in his 40s, known as Mr Big, was arrested over alleged organised crime offences.
  • A woman in her 40s was also arrested over alleged organised crime offences.
Where
  • The man was arrested in Dublin, while one source places the arrests in the North East region.
  • Sources say the arrests are linked to organised crime in the Louth area.
When
Reports date the arrests to Wednesday morning, 5 November 2025, and a later report says the man was arrested on the morning of 6 November 2025.
Cause
The arrests relate to alleged organised crime offences, and the gang is said to have been implicated in up to 16 murders.
Investigation
  • Detectives from the National Criminal Bureau of Investigation made the arrests.
  • Three people are being questioned over an organised crime group's activities in the north east.
  • The man is being questioned at a Dublin Garda station under anti-gangland legislation, and gardaí can hold him for up to seven days.
  • The arrested man is also being investigated over the April 2020 murder of Robbie Lawlor.
Other details
  • Both arrested people are detained in Garda stations in the Dublin Region under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.
  • Both arrested people have links to Robbie Lawlor.
  • Robbie Lawlor was shot dead on 4 April 2020 outside a property at Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.
  • An Garda Síochána said it had no further comment at that time.
13 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA man and a woman, both in their 40s, were arrested. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe arrests were made in the North East region. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereSources say the arrests are linked to organised crime in the Louth area. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe man was arrested in Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whereThe Lawlor killing happened in north Belfast. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe arrests took place on Wednesday morning, 5 November 2025. (irishmirror.ie)
  • whenThe arrest took place on the morning of the article's publication day. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationGardaí arrested two people in relation to alleged organised crime offences. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThree people are being questioned over an organised crime group's activities in the north east. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThe man is being questioned at a Dublin Garda station under anti-gangland legislation. (irishmirror.ie)
  • investigationThe arrested man is also being investigated over the April 2020 murder of Robbie Lawlor. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherBoth arrested people are detained in Garda stations in the Dublin Region under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherBoth arrested people have links to Robbie Lawlor, who was shot dead in Belfast in 2020. (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 6 Nov2025
    Arrestedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Criminal mastermind Mr Big arrested in major gangland crackdown

    Reports the arrest in Dublin as part of an organised crime investigation and links the suspect to the Lawlor murder in north Belfast. Much of the article is background on the gang and its past crimes.

    suspect, 40s, male
  2. 5 Nov2025
    Arrestedirishmirror.ie, follow-up
    Glam businesswoman with links to killer Robbie Lawlor arrested in crime probe

    Names the woman arrested alongside the man in their 40s, says both were detained in Dublin Region Garda stations under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007, places the probe in the Louth area, and says both arrested people have links to Robbie Lawlor.

    suspect, 40s, malesuspect, 40s, female