These are the dates to keep in mind that are important leading up to McIntyre’s murder:
On September 14, 1984, the Valhalla will be loaded with arms for the IRA. The arms will be delivered to a trawler called the Marita Ann off Ireland in international waters.
On September 29, 1984, when the Marita Ann with its cargo of weapons enters into Irish waters it will be intercepted by the Irish Navy and seized. The belief among the criminals spreads that someone who knew about the venture had become an informant. (Much later it will be learned that it was an IRA informant named Sean O’Callaghan gave the tip that brought about the seizure \of the Marita Ann off the coast of Kerry.)
On October 13, 1984, having off-loading the weapons, the Valhalla returned to Boston. This is a Saturday. On board are the skipper Anderson and the mechanic McIntyre. It was a long trip. After getting off the ship Mcintyre will tie one on and act up.
He will be arrested by the Quincy police for a domestic incident while under the influence. While in custody he will start talking about being involved in the shipment of arms on the Valhalla. A Quincy police detective, a DEA agent, and then Customs and FBI agents get involved with McIntyre.
He will talk about Joe Murray, Pat Nee, Kevin Weeks, a Whitey from a liquor store in South Boston, and many more things. He will pretty much lay out the whole operation involving transporting arms and what he knows best, Joe Murray’s marijuana operation. He will also give additional information.
On October 16, 1984, the Vahalla was seized by Customs at Pier 7 in Boston for violations of the US Neutrality Act. At the time of the seizure Anderson and McIntyre were aboard. They were interrogated and released..
Between October 14 and November 30, 1984, McIntyre will continue to give information to federal agents. He will work mainly for Customs. He will also receive $20,000 from Customs in an attempt to set up Joe Murray. They will let him leave with the money without putting him under surveillance or sticking any type of wire on him for protection.
On November 14, 1984, the ship Ramsland is seized by the Coast Guard. That boat has 33 tons of marijuana on it which is owned by Joe Murray who was awaiting its delivery. The marijuana was secreted in hidden compartments below the ballast on the ship. It was so well secreted that when it was easily found by the authorities it became clear to Murray that someone had turned informant.
It would be reported: “Federal agents said today that 33 tons of marijuana worth an estimated $26.4 million had been found under a false bottom in a freighter seized last week.”
Joe Murray was decidedly not happy with taking a loss of 33 tons of marijuana. That represented millions of dollars. He started to figure out who knew about the Ramsland delivery. All were his long-term buddies from Charlestown except for one guy outside that group who was from Quincy, John McIntyre.
Joe Murray knew, it was actually reported in the newspapers, that when Customs agents in Boston seized the Valhalla there were two people on board it. One of them was Anderson who was the captain. He would learn that the other was McIntyre. The newspaper reported that both men were questioned and then let to leave.
Murray would also know by just reading the newspapers that it was the Customs agents who had seized the Valhalla and the Ramsland. It was important to him to find out if McIntyre was the guy who was cooperating with Customs. One way to do that would be to have his buddy Pat Nee talk to McIntyre to find out.
When Joe Murray focused on John McIntyre as the logical leak he had to turned to Nee. He knew Nee would be in trouble if McIntyre was cooperating. Whitey would have no problems from McIntyre. He never met him. Whitey’s involvement in the Valhalla deal was through Nee.
On November 30, 1984, John McIntyre leaves his parents’ house in Quincy. He tells his father he is going to meet with Pat Nee. He is never seen again.
Patty- Great call about Campanella. The show was yanked off the air about 3 or 4 episodes in. It was a show about sports betting. The show tried to involve an element of Whitey with Nee having his cronies go and retrieve a buried box in the boonies somewhere, he sternly warns them to “Not Open the Box” it came off cheesy and comedic. It was yanked off quick and we all probably can assume why.
Matt,
I don’t recall the source, but I believe that a scheme was cooked up by the wiseguys to discover who dimed out the Ramsland and the Valhalla. I believe the story goes like this: Nee had heard from his federal sources that customs gave the informant $20k for his cooperation. In order to get the informant to break cover, Nee et al spread word that Joe Murray was accepting investments in a drug shipment…it only cost $20k to invest and make huge profits. McIntyre allegedly broke cover to invest in this excellent opportunity, and simultaneously proved he was the informant.
I also seem to recall that the Globe’s Cullen reported for several years that Whitey was the Valhalla informant until the Garda corrected it.
Note that among the 7.5 tons of weapons on the Valhalla were machine guns, plastic explosives and grenade launchers. The machine guns in the hands of a convicted felon carried a life sentence. Note that Pat Nee served only 18 months for possessing and smuggling the Valhalla’s weaponry.
5 years later, he again got caught in possession of a machine gun. This time while attempting to rob a bank. He was sentenced to 37 years, but 27 years mysteriously fell off his sentence due to a paperwork error by the US Attorney’s Office.
It appears that the US Attorneys (Wyshak and Herbert) have been protecting an informant they know has murdered at least 5 people to keep him free in society. That’s exactly what David Margolis swore the US Attorneys couldn’t do.
Then there were the very quiet indictments of 33 guys last fall for running a South Boston gambling ring. One of the indicted, Joseph Campanella, had a major role in Saint Hoods. That was the Discovery Channels reality TV show about bookies in Boston. Pat Nee starred as the leader of Boston’s bookmaking. Oddly, his name was not among the 33 indicted. Or perhaps it was, and then it wasn’t.
Patty:
Customs gave McIntyre the $20,000 and then sent him off without any cover or a wire. I would not be surprised at Cullen reporting like that but taht was the Globe’s MO re: Whitey. I suggest you badly underestimate the murders Nee was involved in. He might have murdered more than Whitey actually did. I’ve looked at the time he did and it is clear someone was helping him out while he was helping out that someone. It is not hard to figure it out.
Matt
If thats true that Pat Nee was involved in more murders I wouldnt be surprised if you did some articles on him too. I know some of this overlaps but is Nee protected as a TEI because Whyshak likes him and Whitey was demonized simply because of his brother? Do you think the Feds will ever throw Nee back in front of the bus?
Matt
Thanks for the feedback. Here is an article by Dick Lehr. I am sure you and others can tell whats the truth and what is made up by Lehr. It sounds like McIntyre was hoping that by spilling the beans he would end up protected by law enforcement. Why wasnt he placed in Witness Protection once he spilled so much? Its strange or odd that law enforcement did not “know” McIntyre life was in serious danger based on ALL the info he gave them? Who failed McIntyre?
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2000/02/27/mob_underlings_tale_of_guns_drugs_fear/
Jerome:
Lehr writes an interesting article in many ways: it confirms that Nee and Weeks were the ones he could endanger; he never met Whitey but only heard about him; it also shows the connection between the US atorney’s office and the Globe that the transcript that was before the grand jury ended up in the Globe’s hands. Sort of proves much of what we have been talking about.
I look forward to hearing how US Atttorney Bill Weld and his assistant for CT Bob Mueller fit into the narrative? SO many federal law enforcement agencies involved in this terrorist case. Wow.. Proceed on.
Matt
Interesting spin in this story as to WHY Bulger leaked info to the FBI about Murray. Probably a BS story created by the media, no?
http://archive.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/01/07/convicted-marijuana-dealer-loses-appeal-says-fbi-lied-protect-whitey-bulger/PA6epQb4dW4HOk4XK0rSPO/story.html
Jerome:
An interesting case. I never knew Murray had his brother in the business.
Matt
Any suggestions as to how I could find out where Joe Murray lived, John McIntyre lived, and the rest of the gang connected to this story? I want to visually see the places(neighborhoods, hang outs) etc. THANKS AGAIN MATT
Jerome:
McIntyre lived in Quincy. There is a book out about him where the author blames the IRA for murdering him. If you can find it you might see where his parents lived for he lived at home. Murray lived in Charlestown. I’m not sure where. You might be more interested in going to his place in Maine where his wife killed him.
“Whitey idolized few people. Joe Cahill (Provisional I.R.A.) was one.”
Supposedly met at Triple O’s and won him over. Whitey was on board. Once removed, of course.
O’Callaghan informing on one side of the Atlantic, and McIntyre on the other.
It has been said that a case of Beck’s was the instrument that precipitated the demise of Mr. McIntyre.
C-4 and Kevlar, both of dubious origin also said to be part of the shipment.
Pretty sure McIntyre was from Squantum.
An insular (Whitey bought Cathy a house there and lived there part-time) little peninsula with an unparalleled view of the Boston skyline.
Matt
Am I correct in speculating that had McIntyre not spilled the beans about the Operation that he would have been tried and possibly convicted for domestic abuse? If so, what month or year range would a guilty conviction meant for him to serve in prison? McIntyre basically told everything he knew i norder to avoid prison yet ended up murdered?
Jerome:
He may have been charged with a crime rising out of the domestic incident. Usually the penalty for that is no such as to make a person turn state’s evidence so I don’t think that was the main impetus in his agreeing to cooperate. Although if he was unfamiliar with the system and thought he would be severely punished it may have been. The penalty for that could range from probation if he had no record to a few months in jail.
0I recall that he was still pretty intoxicated when he first talked to Quincy Detective Dick Bergeron and once having let the cat out of the bag he kept talking.
It was not so much the domestic charges he would be facing but the charges that would come about for his involvement in the IRA transfer of arms on the Valhalla. That would bring about a hefty prison term and that was probably the leverage used on him to flip him.
I’m not sure his cooperation at that early stage led to his murder although he could implicate Nee in the Valhalla deal; the big thing that brought it about was when Joe Murray lost millions of dollars when the Ramsland was seized. They knew someone in the group was informing then because the Customs agents went directly for the marijuana that was well hidden. My overall feeling is McIntyre was in way over his head with these real killers.
Matt
Incredible story. How do you get access to information that the public doesnt have access to? Or is it that you were able to piece together most of this from newspaper articles and figure out the real story without the media spin? I wish you were able to upload photos of the men you named. I swear there is one long incredible movie that could be made with the truth as you have spelled out among all of these criminals. Still amazes me that Flemmi and Bulger would be able to side step so many investigations when so many dudes were co-operating with investigators.
Interesting summary. In our current massive terrorism patriot act world I can’t help but observe that this narrative doesn’t match that which the NSA obtained in the early drafts of Pat Nee’s book as part of their IRA surveillance. Not even close. It does mostly match the later book rewrites made by Lyons however. Interesting.
Jim:
And I would add probably none of the narratives tell the real truth. That’s why we continue searching for it.