Fifth person held in investigation into burglary gang

A fifth individual has been arrested in a Garda investigation targeting a burglary gang operating in the southeast of the country.

Four people were initially arrested on Thursday morning in a large Garda operation. The group are suspected to be linked to a string of burglaries targeting small businesses.

On Thursday morning a team of around 50 gardaí began raids at 11 addresses in Enniscorthy linked to suspected members of the gang. The officers involved were drawn from the Garda divisions of Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford and Wexford.

Gardaí arrested four suspects during the raids, two men in their 40s, one in his 30s, and a woman in her 20s.

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Later that afternoon another man in his 30s was arrested, all five individuals are understood to be from Romania.

All five are being held in Garda stations in the southeast, and can be detained for up to one week without charge.

The group has been under surveillance for some time by gardaí investigating commercial burglaries under Operation Thor.

Gardaí have stepped up their investigation of the group after an increase in raids on shops and petrol stations in rural areas. The gang involved has targeted mainly cash and cigarettes during the robberies.

Operation Thor is the umbrella name given to organised efforts by An Garda Síochána to tackle burglaries and related crime.

During the searches of properties in Enniscorthy gardaí found mobile phones, financial documents, sat navs, and a small sum of money totalling around €1,000.