Monkey seizure criminals raided again by large Garda team

Gardaí have again targeted criminals who were raided earlier in the year when a marmoset monkey was seized by the Garda on animal welfare grounds.

On Tuesday, a large of team of gardaí returned to the scene of April's raid in Finglas, Dublin, to carry out another search operation on the large site off Ratoath Road.

During Tuesday’s search heroin and cocaine valued at €320,000 was seized along with a large quantity of high value clothing, a quantity of cash, two Rolex watches, a BMW vehicle and a small amount of ammunition.

Three people were arrested, including two suspects in their 40s who have been charged and since released on bail. The third person arrested suspect was questioned about the drugs find and has been released without charge. A file is being prepared for the DPP.

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In April, gardaí seized a machine pistol, a .357 Magnum revolver and a machine gun with silencer along with about 300 rounds of ammunition.

Cocaine and herbal cannabis, valued at about €100,000 and €30,000 respectively, was seized as well as €3,000 in stolen clothing.

Two men were arrested at the time and they were once again the targets of the Garda team on Tuesday.

The site is a large one featuring several dwellings and the guns, drugs and stolen clothing were discovered in a communal area in April. That made it impossible to link that previous haul to specific suspects.

Gardaí believe the men they were targeting in April have continued their involvement in drug and gun crime since then and so returned for more searches on Tuesday.

The latest operation was intelligence-led and involved gardaí from Blanchardstown and Finglas. They were supported by the Garda helicopter, Garda dog unit, Garda water unit and officers from the Revenue Commissioners.

Disruption

“[The] operation is focused on targeting organised criminal gangs and the disruption of criminal gangs and their activities in the distribution of controlled drugs in the Blanchardstown and Finglas area,” the Garda said.

Meanwhile, four men arrested in an unrelated operation in west Dublin on Monday remained in Garda custody on Tuesday evening.

Three of the men were arrested by Blanchardstown gardaí, while a fourth suspect was detained in Limerick and brought to Dublin for questioning.

They were being detained in connection with the shooting of a Dublin man in his 30s on Blakestown Road, Blanchardstown, on March 6th last. That man was wounded and though he survived he has been left with very serious injuries.

Gardaí believe he was targeted by a west Dublin drug gang who were trying to kill him but effectively botched the shooting. The suspects are engaged in a bloody gangland feud in west Dublin.

During a search in west Dublin on Monday linked to the arrests of the four men, a jar containing about €9,000 was found buried about a metre underground.

The four men were on Tuesday being held in Blanchardstown and Finglas Garda stations under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 allowing for their detention for up to seven days without charge.