TWO MEMBERS of one of Limerick’s feuding gangs have been arrested after they were seen by gardaí following a prison van used to carry inmates.
The men’s car was searched and they were questioned for a short time following the incident in west Dublin.
However, no drugs or guns were found in their car and they were released.
The prison van the men were following was not carrying any inmates at the time. Gardaí investigating the incident are satisfied the two men knew the van was empty.
“We don’t think they were going to try and stop the van and free somebody they thought was inside,” said one Garda source.
“But it is possible they were studying the movements of the van as part of planning for some future escape attempt.
“We just don’t know at the moment but we’ll continue to investigate it.”
The incident occurred in the Ballyfermot area of west Dublin at about 7.30pm on Thursday. A garda spotted a car carrying two men following a prison van.
The van was being driven by prison officers from the courts in the city centre to Cloverhill Prison, Clondalkin.
When gardaí realised the men were leading gangland criminals from Limerick, they decided to stop their car for the purposes of carrying out a drugs search.
The two men, who are in their 20s and well-known to gardaí, were arrested and taken for questioning to Ballyfermot Garda station.
They were questioned, but because they had not broken any laws they were released without charge.
The men arrested are members of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, which has carried out a string of feud- and drug-related gun murders over the past eight years.
A number of the gang are in prison, including five men serving life for the murder of rival drugs boss Kieran Keane in 2003.
The gang’s main figure is nearing the end of a prison sentence for gun crime.
A number of years ago, gardaí foiled a plan by the gang to import rocket-propelled grenades from an Asian crime syndicate in London.
The Limerick criminals were planning to use the grenades to blow up a prison van as it brought a supergrass witness to court to give evidence against some of the gang.
Gardaí staged a sting operation involving a mock delivery of weapons.
Two men were arrested here and jailed for their role in the plot.
Following Thursday night’s incident, prison officers driving inmates in vans to and from court appearances and hospital appointments have been warned to be extra vigilant.
One of the men arrested on Thursday is a central figure in the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
The second man is also a key gang member.
He had recently been attacked by his own gang after a falling-out. However, that dispute now appears to have been resolved.
A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said the incident on Thursday night was a matter for gardaí.
He declined to comment further.
Prison Officers’ Association general secretary John Clinton said he was concerned.
“We can be as vigilant as we can but if there are elements, serious criminals, tracking you down and waiting to try and ambush a prison service van, you’re going to be left in a very serious situation should they decide to act,” said Mr Clinton.
He called on the prison service and Department of Justice to fully investigate the events of Thursday evening.