A man jointly charged with the double murder of two major drug dealers told police the men were employed by an IRA gang that "ran Liverpool", a court heard.
Thomas Haigh, 28, and Ross Stone, 26, stand trial at Truro Crown Court for the murders in Cornwall of father-of-three David Griffiths, 35 – originally from Plymouth – and Brett Flournoy, 31 – a boxer from Merseyside and father-of-two – over drug debts.
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Thomas Haigh and Ross Stone at Truro Crown Court, where they are accused of murder
Prosecutors argue Haigh and Stone, who ran a roofing and cladding business, formed an alliance to murder the men because the men were threatening them and their families.
The men were blasted with a shotgun and then burned inside a Citroen Berlingo van before it was buried in a pit 2.4 metres deep (7ft 10in) at Sunny Croft, a small holding at Trenance Downs, near St Austell.
Mr Flournoy and Mr Griffiths went missing on June 16 last year and their bodies were found a month later.
Stone, of Trenance Downs, and Haigh, of no fixed abode but originally from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, each deny two counts of murder.
Mr Griffiths was originally from Plymouth but at the time of his death was living in Bracknell, Berkshire, and Mr Flournoy was from the Wirral, near Liverpool.
Yesterday the court heard that after Haigh and Stone were arrested Stone blamed Haigh, while the latter denied any knowledge of the deaths. Stone admitted disposing of the bodies and the van.
Paul Dunkels, QC, said Haigh was arrested in Huddersfield after handing himself into police.
Mr Dunkels said: "Haigh told officers he was not into the drug scene and worked for Mr Flournoy as a driver. "He said he did owe them money but had worked it off.
"He said Mr Flournoy wanted him to go to Stone's home to keep an eye on [Stone] and gave [Haigh] some money to get the train (to Cornwall), and that Mr Flournoy and Mr Griffiths worked for an IRA firm that ran Liverpool."
Haigh told officers that on June 16, Mr Griffiths attacked him at Sunny Croft with a piece of wood over the head because he was annoyed Haigh had brought a girl back to the small holding on a previous occasion.
Haigh said Mr Flournoy pulled out a semi-automatic gun and he ran off. Mr Dunkels said Haigh denied the double slaying and told officers he would have done it himself and "not leave it to some thick farmer to tidy up".
Haigh went on to say if he had killed the men he would have contacted Triad or Turkish criminal gangs he knew to whisk him out of the country.
Mr Dunkels said when Stone was arrested he told police he had arrived at Sunny Croft to find Griffiths' body lying in a lane and Haigh had been very badly beaten.
Mr Dunkels told the court: "Stone said Haigh said he had killed Mr Griffiths and Mr Flournoy, and that Dave – that would be Mr Griffiths – would not die.
"Stone believed Thomas Haigh had killed both the men, therefore Stone dug a hole, put the bodies in the van, pushed the van into the hole and set fire to it all, then covered the van over."
The prosecutor said Stone had used his local connections to get the gun and cartridges – none of which have ever been found.
He told the jury it did not matter who had actually pulled the trigger because both defendants were responsible for the murders.
Mr Dunkels said: "The alliance between these two defendants quickly broke down. Stone claims Haigh did the murders and Haigh disclaims any knowledge of what happened."
The trial continues.
