The Rathcoole area of North Belfast has ‘remained quiet’ following the death of loyalist Ihab Shoukri who died of a suspected overdose in his Newtownabbey home at the weekend while watching the Ricky Hatton fight.

The Deputy Mayor of Newtownabbey and councillor for the Rathcoole area, John Scott said that despite rumours across the area following the 34-year-old drug dealer’s death - and a bomb scare at the time of his funeral - there was at present no sign of a turf war.

"It has been quiet in the estate, of course there's talk but I'm surprised there hasn't been a lot more trouble," he said.

"It's been very quiet and people are just wondering what's going on. There is no sign of a turf war and hopefully it stays like that."

Other sources in the Rathcoole estate told this paper that people regarded the senior loyalist's death as a relief.

"It's one less headache round here and it's one less drug dealer on our streets. How many people did he sell drugs to and what damage did he cause to their homes and lives? Everyone knew he was a drug dealer and round here he had more enemies than friends."

In January 2003 this paper interviewed Ihab Shoukri after he was made leader of the UDA’s North Belfast ‘brigade’ after his brother Andre was jailed.

He told the NBN he would kill Catholics without compunction and branded Johnny Adair's Lower Shankill faction as a "cult" capable only of sending out “drug-crazed kids” to take out major players in the UDA and innocent victims like Protestant man David Cupples on Cliftonpark Avenue.

He revealed during that interview he was a former pupil of Lagan College which was the first integrated school in Northern Ireland. 

The son of an Egyptian sailor and a Belfast mother, Ihab took over the reins of the UDA in North Belfast in 2002 when the faction based in the Westland housing estate was in a struggle for supremacy with Johnny Adair and his C Company.

More recently Ihab Shoukri had been arrested along with a number of other men at a the Alexandra Bar on the York Road where a UDA "show of strength" was being planned.

Ihab Shoukri and his brother Andre, who was allowed to attend to his funeral today (Thursday) by prison bosses, were expelled from the UDA two years ago after setting up a breakaway faction in south east Antrim.

The faction had been accused of involvement in widespread criminality, including drug dealing.

Ihab Shoukri took over the group in November last year after his brother was jailed for nine years on charges including blackmail and intimidation.