Gardai question 22 over security van raid

Gardaí were last night continuing to question 22 people in connection with a €2.2 million security van robbery in March.

The arrests in Dublin and Meath yesterday morning followed one of the biggest series of raids against organised crime in the Republic. One of those arrested is a staff member of a major cash-in-transit company.

Those being detained were all arrested at about 6.30am when more than 250 gardaí simultaneously raided almost 70 houses across Dublin city and in Ashbourne, Co Meath. Detectives recovered €300,000 in cash, at least six luxury vehicles, plasma televisions and a number of firearms, including three revolvers and a sawn-off shotgun.

A large quantity of cocaine, valued at at least €100,000, was also seized.

Senior Garda sources last night indicated to The Irish Times they believed the money and the vehicles seized were the proceeds of the robbery of a Securicor van in Dublin last month.

Sources said the vehicles, which included three Mercedes and two BMWs, were bought about the time of the robbery. The suspects have all been buying other luxury items and electronic goods as well as booking expensive holidays.

One of the arrested men had bought a car for more than €40,000 for himself and a €25,000 car for his partner.

Gardaí believe a small number of the men arrested last night were in the process of setting themselves up in the illicit drugs industry with some of the money recovered.

Yesterday's operation was carried out by gardaí from stations all over Dublin city and from Ashbourne, along with teams of detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Criminal Assets Bureau and the National Bureau of Fraud Investigation.

So many officers were needed that extra gardaí were drafted in from the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

The operation was intelligence-led and took place after the main gang members behind the robbery had been placed under surveillance for a prolonged period. Gardaí are confident there will be convictions for the robbery and described yesterday's events as a significant breakthrough.

During the robbery last month, Securicor staff member Paul Richardson and his family were held at their Raheny home by the gang, who then took Mrs Richardson and her two teenage sons to a wood in Wicklow.

Mr Richardson was forced to go to work as normal and he was ordered to drive the Securicor van to the Strawberry Beds in Dublin, where the gang unloaded it.

Three of those being held last night are women. The other 19 are all men in their 20s and 30s. Some were being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act on suspicion of withholding information. Others were being held under section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act on suspicion of using the threat of firearms during last month's robbery.

Gardaí are working on the theory that about five or six of the men being held make up the gang which planned and executed the robbery. These all have criminal records and are originally from the Coolock area, but now living in different parts of the city.

Two of the gang are brothers. They are well known to gardaí.

Most of the other people arrested are associates of these men. Most have no, or limited, criminal records but it is believed they have information on the robbery and that some of the proceeds of the robbery were being stored in their houses.

The €300,000 recovered was found in a number of houses in parcels of up to €50,000.