Gardaí have uncovered an operation where thieves stole cars to order and then reissued them with the chassis and registration numbers of crashed cars.
On Sunday night, gardaí seized a number of vehicles, valued at €200,000, at a premises in north Co Kildare. Two Nissan Patrols, a Ford Focus, two Renault Lagunas, one Audi A4 and a number of engine parts were found.
A 41-year-old man was arrested and later released. A file is being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Yesterday, Insp Brian Sherry, Blanchardstown, told The Irish Times they had noticed there had been a number of burglaries on the west side of Dublin and a trend where burglars were taking car keys from homes and then stealing the cars.
"We put our resources into the operation which culminated in the search of the premises in north Co Kildare," he said.
Insp Sherry said the thieves would buy a crash car, one that was written off and then steal a car to match. They would then take the chassis and registration number of the crashed car and weld it on to the stolen car.
"It has been going on for at least 12 months. In the one operation, we found a number of cars so you can imagine what might have gone through the premises," he said. Investigations were at an early stage and inquiries were only just beginning.
Insp Sherry said the biggest problem was trying to get the message across to the public. After a house, a car is the biggest purchase a person makes of anything from €15,000 to €120,000. Manufacturers had made it more difficult for cars to be stolen but people became lax and threw keys down on the hall table. People should leave on house alarms when they are in and also put keys in a safe place.