Criminal says his business on Thomas Street, La Cosa Nostra, is ‘100pc legitimate’

Shane Lyons and his La Cosa Nostra restaurant on Thomas Street in Dublin

Shane Lyons and his La Cosa Nostra restaurant on Thomas Street in Dublin

A convicted criminal who was previously classified by gardaí as being a major gangland player is now running a mafia-themed restaurant in the capital’s south inner city.

Shane Lyons (57), who has a number of convictions, including for drugs trafficking and viciously assaulting two women, denied that his latest business venture was a “front” for the proceeds of organised crime when he was contacted by the Irish Independent.