As part of an Operation Thor day of action, Gardaí have arrested 17 people in relation to recent incidents of burglary, theft, fraud, robbery, possession of drugs for sale and supply, and possession of drugs for personal use. Gardaí have also seized €41,700 of suspected drugs and €3,600 in cash.
Incidents of note:
A search warrant was executed at an apartment on Wellington Road which resulted in the seizure of the following suspected drugs: €28,700 cocaine, € 7,000 cannabis resin, €300 cannabis herb and €3,600 cash. A man in his 30s was arrested and detained at Mayfield Garda Station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996. He has since been charged to appear before Cork City District Court at a later date.
A second unrelated search was carried out at a house on Saint Colmcille Road
which resulted in the seizure of the following suspected drugs: €2,500 cannabis resin, €3,000 of cannabis herb and €200 ecstasy tablets. A man in his 30s was arrested and is currently detained at Gurranabraher Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984. All of the suspected drugs that were seized in both searches will now be sent for analysis
A caravan worth approximately €18,000 that was stolen in the UK was seized in the Gurranabraher area. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
A man in his 30s was also arrested on foot of a bench warrant in relation to a number of fraud incidents.
Of the 17 arrests made:
5 charged to appear before the courts
9 released for file to the DPP
3 still in custody
Gardaí in Cork have had increased fraud Incidents such as a "change scam” where a suspect enters a shop and looks for change of a high value note. They then confuses the shop assistant with other requests which results in the shop handing over money it should not have.
Other incidents are where people’s bank cards are being used without their consent. This is usually done via contactless transaction. If anyone loses or has their bank car stolen, it is essential that they report it immediately to minimise any potential loss. We also have incidents where people buy items likes match and concert tickets via an online marketplace and never receive the tickets. Be sure that the person is genuine and never send cash or use a money transfer company unless you are entirely satisfied.
This year, Gardaí in Cork have had numerous reports of accommodation fraud and last month received a report from a man who handed over €1,400 to rent an apartment in Douglas. This was done online and turned out to be fake. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Crime Prevention Officer, Sgt Tony Davis spoke about fraud prevention saying "Lots of money will be spent in shops and online over Christmas and the January sales and we want to make sure nobody is defrauded out of money. We have a few simple tips; do some research online and only buy from trusted sources, shops or brands that you are familiar with.
"Make sure the website is secure by looking for the padlock symbol and the ‘S’ in HTTPS at the top of the screen. Don’t click on links or adverts from social media. Independently go to the website offering the deal. This will ensure you are not shopping on a fake website. Think twice before storing your payment details online. When purchasing something online from another person, do not send money up front and never send anyone your card number, PIN or any other card details."
