Issue Date: 24/02/2022
In relation to the arrests made yesterday Wednesday, 23rd February 2022, as part of ongoing investigations targeting persons suspected to be involved in an Organised Criminal Group operating in the Wicklow area:
The man (30) and woman (25) arrested and detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939 have been released from custody. A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The man (26) and woman (23) arrested and detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996, have both been charged. The man is scheduled to appear before Bray District Court this afternoon, Thursday 24th February 2022. The woman has been released and will appear before the courts at a later date.
Previous Press Release Refers:
On Wednesday, 23rd February 2022 as part of ongoing investigations targeting persons suspected to be involved in an Organised Criminal Group operating in the Wicklow area, a joint operation was conducted by personnel attached to the Revenue Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and the Wicklow Divisional Drugs Unit.
During the course of this operation a premises was searched in the Wicklow area. Drugs consisting of MDMA, Ketamine and LSD with an estimated street value of €48,000 (forty eight thousand euro) were recovered and seized by Revenue officers.
A follow-up search of a vehicle resulted in the recovery of four firearms, consisting of a Sten machine gun and three semi-automatic pistols, two of which were loaded, as well as a silencer and a quantity of ammunition which were subsequently seized by An Garda Síochána.
Gardaí arrested four persons; a male (aged 30) and a female (aged 25) are currently detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939; a male (aged 26) and a female (aged 23) are currently detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996. They are currently detained for questioning subject to relevant provisions at Bray and Wicklow Garda Stations.
