Three men arrested on Saturday March 10th 2018 (Previous Press Release 238/18 refers) are expected to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8 at 10.30am this morning, Thursday 15th March 2018 charged in connection with this investigation.
A fourth man was released from Garda custody and a file will be prepared for the information of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Ref No: 255/18
As part of a follow-up operation into earlier arrests and firearms seizures, Gardaí have arrested a fourth man this morning, 10th March 2018. The man in his 40s is detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 at a Garda Station in Dublin. Gardaí have also carried out searches in North Dublin, West Dublin and the North Inner City.
Assistant John O' Driscoll, who is responsible for Special Crime Operations (SCO) within the Garda Síochána, said "we stated on numerous occasions that our efforts at tackling organised crime, particularly where it gives rise to threat to life, is unrelenting. The action taken today, through a combination of the resources assigned to SCO and Security and Intelligence, within the Garda Síochána, has yet again resulted in the arrests of suspects and the associated seizure of firearms".
The assistant commissioner added, "those within the world of organised crime who display a total disregard for human life remain within our focus and we are determined to cause them to be arrested, charged and where the Courts determine there is sufficient evidence, convicted and incarcerated within our prisons”.
Assistant Commissioner O’ Driscoll has previously credited operations undertaken by the Garda Síochána and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), supported by other specialised units within the organisation, including the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and Armed Support Units (ASUs), with intervening in up to forty-five (45) circumstances, where the planned assassination of targeted persons, by organised crime gangs, was, allegedly, involved.
The assistant commissioner said, "on-going liaison with other law enforcement authorities at both national and international level, is maximising the Garda Síochána’ s potential to deliver regular and significant impacts on the world of organised crime”.
The additional resources provided to SCO in recent times has enabled a crew of dedicated and highly skilled personnel to make significant inroads into tackling the activities of a number of major organised crime groups, through the making of arrests, the seizure of high calibre weaponry and the seizure of significant sums of money, the commissioner stated.
The assistant commissioner said, "I want to again compliment all personnel within the Garda Síochána who continuously display an extraordinary level of commitment, professionalism and also bravery, when given difficult assignments, such as that which today, has once again, resulted in the potential saving of human life and the arrest of those, who allegedly, while fully armed, where determined to murder”.
