One of the most senior RUC officers has told the Smithwick Tribunal there was no intelligence suggesting that there was an IRA mole operating within Dundalk Garda Station.
Retired Senior Assistant Chief Constable David Cushley told the tribunal that he did not have any security concerns about Dundalk either.
Mr Cushley also cast doubt over whether Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan had ever been ordered not to go south of the border.
Yesterday, an Assistant Chief Constable, using the identity of Witness 18, claimed he had given that order to the two men following a meeting with then Chief Constable John Hermon.
In evidence, Mr Cushley said he could not understand why such an order would be given.
The two officers were both senior and experienced and would not have disobeyed a direct order.
He also disputed the claim by Witness 18 that the operation was a low-level, intelligence gathering operation.
The Chief Constable, he said, had given an order to arrange an operation to tackle smuggling along the border. That was not a low level-operation, he insisted.
Evidence given by Witness 18 disputed
Earlier another witness, a former RUC officer, also disputed evidence given by Witness 18.
He said Chief Supt Breen was not at the meeting where the operation against a man identified in the tribunal's opening statement as Thomas 'Slab' Murphy was discussed.
He also said that Witness 18 ordered Supt Buchanan to go to Dundalk taking Chief Supt Breen with him for a meeting with gardaí. Yesterday, Witness 18 denied giving such an order.
The Smithwick Tribunal is investigating claims that a garda mole in Dundalk alerted the IRA to the meeting attended by the two senior RUC officers.
They were both killed in an IRA ambush as they returned to Northern Ireland after the meeting.
Pressed under cross-examination if he would have been aware if there was intelligence expressing concern about a garda or the Dundalk station, Mr Cushley replied 'possibly, probably but not definitely'.
He was also asked by Senior Counsel for former Garda Commissioner, Michael Durack, what he knew about the agent known as Stakeknife.
Mr Cushley said he knew he came from the republican and Provisional IRA background.
Asked if he knew to whom the agent reported to, Mr Cushley replied: 'I have no idea. I am quite sure the press know more about it than I would.'
'It was just a name and an agent,' he added and went on to question what relevance Stakeknife had to today's proceedings.
