Garda posse rides out to bust cattle rustling operation

JOHN WAYNE tracked down many a cattle rustler in his days as lawman out on the mean prairies of the wild west.

But the great cowboy himself would be proud of the posse that rode out of not-so-wild Newcastle West last Sunday and got their man within hours.

A number of cattle had been rustled from a farm in Ballymackessy near the Co Limerick town at about 5.30am.

But by 3pm a Garda posse had rounded up the stolen animals and in doing so uncovered what they suspect was a wider cattle rustling operation.

Sgt Denis Woods said four Holstein bullocks worth more than €2,000 were reported missing by a local farmer.

As a result of intensive inquiries the posse headed to another ranch in the west. And there they located the stolen steers.

It may also be linked to a wider, longstanding 18-month investigation into cattle rustling in the Newcastle West area.

This investigation focused on cattle rustling from five different farms.

A man arrested as a result of Sunday’s investigation is now at the centre of an inquiry into all the cattle rustling incidents.

The suspect owns extensive areas of land in west Limerick and gardaí suspect he may have been selling on stolen cattle having switched tags from his own herd.

Inspectors from the Department of Agriculture have halted all cattle movements from the man’s land while his entire herd is blood-tested to trace the origins of each animal.

Sgt Woods said the suspect was released after being questioned and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.