The 48-year-old had been charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine along with four others
The Carrick based crime boss is back in court this week to hear his fate after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess 1.2kg of cocaine.
It is understood he agreed to plead guilty in return for more serious charges of drug dealing being dropped.
He is hopeful that by cutting a deal he will avoid jail time.
The 48-year-old had been charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine along with four others following a National Crime Agency (NCA) undercover operation in November 2020.
The others facing sentencing are Glenn Burns, 42, of Moyard Gardens, Greenisland; David Weir, 43, of Rossmore Green, Greenisland;Daniel Vance, 37, of Glenkeen Drive, Greenisland; Dean Cromie, 28, of Kinbayne Avenue, Greenisland; Darren Kelly, 56, of Kinbayne Crescent, Greenisland.
But after almost five years of legal wrangling, the gang appeared in Belfast Crown Court last month to plead guilty to the lesser charge of conspiracy to possess the drug.
Clifford Irons
The mob were arrested after the NCA bugged a car and recorded conversations involving some of the defendants talking about the possession of 1.2kg of cocaine valued at around £35,000.
The drugs package was hidden in a hedge in Greenisland, Co Antrim, close to Irons’ home.
Because of police activity in the area, the gang was reluctant to retrieve the cocaine and sent a series of messages among themselves about how best to pick it up.
When Irons, Burns, Weir and Vance first appeared in court, Irons was described by prosecutors as “being the commander of the South East Antrim UDA”.
Almost five years after their arrests, the case is finally coming to a conclusion following the defendants’ guilty pleas.
Loyalist sources say Irons informed the South East Antrim UDA leadership of his intention to confess to conspiring to possess the cocaine haul at a meeting earlier last month.
He is the most senior figure in the paramilitary gang, which is currently involved in transitioning talks with government officials, to plead guilty to a drugs charge.
The fact that the case against Irons was reduced from conspiring to supply cocaine to conspiring to possess cocaine has also led to questions being asked of him by senior UDA figures.
Several years ago, the terror boss appeared in court accused of possessing a gun and ammunition with intent to endanger life in connection with a loyalist feud in Carrickfergus.
However, the case against Irons was later withdrawn.
Despite being a high profile figure in SEA, Irons has led a charmed life. For years he ran the crime gang’s highly lucrative drugs operation across Carrickfergus.
Under the leadership of SEA Brigadier Gary Fisher the breakaway faction became one of the most significant organised crime gangs in Northern Ireland.
South East Antrim UDA mural in Glengormley, North Belfast.
His former home on the Castlemara estate in the town was seized by the High Court after the NCA said it was bought with the proceeds of money laundering, and his wife Tanya was convicted of a £32,000 benefit fraud.
With Fisher forced to step down due to ill-health, Irons was sidelined by the new UDA leadership, which effectively wiped its hands of the Carrickfergus unit.
Despite being in a weakened state, the Carrickfergus UDA remains a key target for the Paramilitary Crime Task Force.
Earlier this year, more than 40 officers from the elite PSNI unit and its Tactical Support Group took part in house raids targeting the supply of cocaine and cannabis.
Irons and his co-accused are due in court this Friday.
NCA and PSNI investigators worked closely with the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland (PPS) to build a robust case against all six, resulting in the guilty pleas.
Clifford Irons
News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday, November 4