Four men are in custody following a Garda operation targeting an organised criminal gang involved in burglaries.
The men were arrested in Lucan, Co. Dublin on 8th November, having been intercepted by National and Regional Garda Units following a report of a burglary in Mullingar Co. Westmeath.
The four men, one in his 60's, one in his 20's and two in their 30's, all from Dublin have been taken to Mullingar Garda Station where they are detained under Section 4 of The Criminal Justice Act, 1984. An Operational Order was issued last week to Garda Síochána personnel throughout the country notifying them of the launch of a winter phase of Operation Thor and directing a range of operational activity be undertaken for the purpose of preventing a predictable upsurge in burglaries which occurs during the winter months. Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll who is the officer in charge of Special Crime Operations and is assigned overall responsibility for coordinating Operation Thor related activity, on a National basis, convened a meeting of senior officers and other relevant stake holders, on Thursday last. At Thursday’s meeting Assistant Commissioner O’Driscoll requested that Detective Superintendents that operate in Garda Síochána Regions throughout the country, gather intelligence regarding organised crime gangs who are travelling around the country, committing burglaries and using the motorway network to ensure speedy escape from crime scenes and to nominate suspects for targeting. The Detective Superintendents are coordinating their Operation Thor related activity which has resulted this evening in an organised crime group who are suspected to have left Dublin earlier today in a stolen high powered vehicle and travelled to the Midlands region and committed burglaries, being apprehended later in the Lucan area of Dublin. Four people were arrested in possession of jewellery believed to be the proceeds of burglaries, along with what are believed to be house breaking implements. They are detained on suspicion of having committed burglaries.
The Regional Detective Superintendents will be meeting on a regular basis throughout the winter phase of Operation Thor for the purpose of identifying other targets who will be targeted with a view to preventing them from committing burglaries or apprehending them where the burglaries have occurred. The resources of National units within Special Crime Operations (SCO) were made available to the Region Detective Superintendents this evening and will be utilised throughout the Winter Phase of Operation Thor.
