Two men described as being involved in a sub-cell of one of the gangs at the centre of the Drogheda feud, will be sentenced next month.
Dean Thornton, 28, and Gary Kelly, 31, both with addresses in Moneymore, Drogheda, were present in court for their sentencing hearing today.
Both men have been in custody since January last year.
They have pleaded guilty to facilitating an organised crime group.
Dean Thornton has also pleaded guilty to money laundering charges, while Gary Kelly has also admitted to money laundering and drug dealing offences.
Gardaí investigating the activities of the Boylan Organised Crime Group gave evidence to the court today.
Detective Garda Niall McManus told the court the men were involved in a sub-cell of the Boylan organised crime group and were operating an online virtual shop called Poundland between July 2023 and December 2024.
The purpose of the shop was to sell cocaine and cannabis on social media apps Instagram and Telegram.
The court heard the apps were monitored by the drugs unit and there were weekly messages posted on them about the types of strains of cannabis and cocaine that were for sale.
Gardaí said an analysis of their personal Instagram accounts found the Poundland pages were operated by the two men.
When the Instagram account was first set up, they were the first followers of the page using their personal accounts.
The court heard they created their own Poundland logo, which was also seen in a music video promoting Dean Thornton's rap career.
The logo also appeared on drug packages that were sold to undercover gardaí as part of the investigation.
The court heard the Poundland pages were operated by the two men.
Their personal usernames had the letters AMF at the end, which the court heard stood for "anti-Maguire faction", a reference to the other side of the Drogheda feud.
Gardaí said there was a command structure, where Dean Thorton was a level above Gary Kelly and there was evidence they worked for the Boylan organised crime group.
Dean Thornton and Gary Kelly have both been in custody since their arrests in January 2025.
After his arrest, the court was told Dean Thornton made admissions to say that he had been involved in criminal activity in the recent past but that he has been wanting to leave it behind him and he regrets his involvement.
Nothing of evidential value was obtained through garda interviews with Gary Kelly.
The court heard Dean Thornton has 18 previous convictions.
Defence Barrister James McGowan said he had been exposed to criminality from a young age and that he had offered a guilty plea at a relatively early stage.
He noted that a trial from this complex investigation would have been expensive.
He told the court that Dean Thornton had admitted his involvement in drug dealing and indicated his intention to move away from it.
He said his client identifies himself as a rapper and that music has contributed to his healing from drug addiction, and he is focused on building a future for himself through music.
A letter of apology was also given to the court.
The court heard that Gary Kelly has 85 previous convictions.
His defence barrister Michael Hourigan also asked the court to consider his guilty plea.
He said his client was involved in "street dealing in respect of small amounts".
When questioning Det Garda McManus earlier, Mr Hourigan described Gary Kelly as a "puppet" and that "while others had the trappings of wealth, he had nothing".
Det Garda McManus agreed with this statement.
Mr Hourigan outlined that Gary Kelly had a difficult early life, and that this was the first time since his teenage years that he has been drug-free.
Judge Dara Hayes remanded the two men in custody to be sentenced on 16 June.
