The Rettendon killers will remain behind bars after an appeal against their convictions was rejected at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Their lawyers have indicated they will now push for leave to appeal to the House of Lords.
Michael Steele, 63, of Great Bentley, and Jack Whomes, 45, of Suffolk, were jailed for life in January 1998 for the slaying of Basildon drug barons Tony Tucker, Pat Tate and Craig Rolfe.
All three were found blasted to death in Workhouse Lane, Rettendon, in December 1995.
Whomes and Steele, along with Peter Corry, of Clacton, were also found guilty of conspiracy to import cannabis.
The case - dubbed the Range Rover murders after the car their grisly remains were found in - became one of the longest and high-profile gangland murder trials in legal history.
* Full story in Thursday's Echo
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