Gardaí focus on yard in Guinness keg theft investigation
Officers carried out a number of searches in Co Meath on Monday and uncovered a keg from the robbery at a warehouse in the Julianstown area.
Investigating officers believe the raid was carried out by organised criminals with experience in container theft and who also had contacts with dodgy publicans.
Last Thursday, a lone thief drove his truck into the main dispatch centre at St James’s Gate in Dublin. He got past security, hitched a Guinness trailer onto the cab and drove back out.
On the trailer were 180 kegs of Guinness, 180 kegs of Budweiser and 90 kegs of Carlsberg, with a wholesale value of €64,000. But sources estimate the kegs would have a retail value of three to four times that.
The trailer was only discovered missing hours later when it failed to arrive at its intended destination. The empty trailer was located by gardaí at Slane Hill, Co Meath, later that day. In a follow-up operation, gardaí searched several premises on Monday, including a warehouse and yard in Julianstown.
“A number of items were found that were associated with that particular load, including one barrel,” said a Garda source.
Detectives believe an organised gang was behind the operation.
Not only did they know the workings of the dispatch centre, they used a false number plate on the cab and had at least one location where they could store 450 kegs, and had the vehicles to move them around. Gardaí believe they had lined up publicans and other retailers who would take the kegs, with no questions asked.
Garda sources said the CCTV system at St James’s Gate did not get a clear image of the raider, something the gang may have known. Officers are now talking to a number of individuals who are associated with the warehouse, yard and sheds at Julianstown in a bid to piece together any information about the gang that used it.
Guinness is itself carrying out an internal inquiry.
