Operation Spider a tangled web of intrigue and cover-ups

Seán McCárthaigh analyses an investigation that uncovered much more than gardaí or the public could have imagined

OPERATION Spider the investigation into drug-dealing at Frank Shortt's nightclub in Donegal in 1992 has proven to be one of the most aptly-named garda operations of all time.

However, even the detective who conceived its code name could scarcely have foreseen just how tangled a web of intrigue would emanate from such a seemingly simple operation. And few of those involved in Operation Spider could have guessed that its full ramifications, only now emerging, would also threaten the careers of senior officers.