Cross-Border hunt for armed gang after cigarettes' heist
The driver of the hijacked lorry was abducted by the gang, who stopped him as he was driving south with the 40-foot container full of cigarettes.
He was released after being taken away, held for a time and questioned by members of the gang. The man suffered minor injuries.
Sources described the hijacking as a well-planned and executed operation, one that could net the robbers nearly €1m in profit if they sell the cigarettes of various brands at just over half the retail price. The gang attempted to hijack another lorry just moments earlier but the driver, sensing danger in the darkness despite being faced by what appeared to be workmen dressed in hard hats and fluorescent yellow jackets, put his foot to the floor and sped past the group.
Police in the North believe other vehicles were stopped by the gang after they set up their bogus roadblock some time before 7.30am yesterday.
It was at that time the driver of the hijacked lorry was stopped about two miles north of the Border as he travelled out of Newry. After being flagged down, he was approached by several men wearing scarves, two of them armed with handguns. The driver window was smashed and a gun pointed at his head. The terrified driver was pulled from the cab, blindfolded and transferred to another vehicle. He was driven a short distance, pulled from the car, questioned for a time, then placed back in the back of the car. His ordeal was over minutes later when he was driven another short distance and released.
The cab was discovered burnt-out on the Low Road in Killeavy, a village near Newry. The trailer has not yet been found nor have any arrests been made.
The alarm was raised when the driver of the first lorry arrived at Dromad Garda Station a few miles from the Border.
Drivers who were stopped or anyone who saw what looked like road crews early yesterday are asked to contact the PSNI or gardaí.
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