13 arrested as officers swoop in dawn drug raids

THIRTEEN men were arrested yesterday in a major Garda operation aimed at a Dublin north inner city crime gang and its regional supply network.

More than 300 officers, including elite armed units and the riot squad, led dawn raids on 33 locations across the capital, Kildare, Cork city, Cavan and Wexford.

Those arrested included two people aged 41 and 23 held in the Bridewell, Dublin; a 20-year-old held in Whitehall, Dublin; a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old held in Togher, Cork; a 40-year-old man held in Mountjoy, a 48-year-old in Enniscorthy; a 42-year-old held in Gorey and a 21-year-old held in Pearse Street. All were detained under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act.

The crime gang that was targeted is lead by men based in the Sheriff Street area of the north inner city and has been embroiled in a gangland feud for several years while becoming increasingly involved in heroin, cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy trafficking.

Chief superintendent Pat Leahy said prior to yesterday’s operation the group had been spreading its influence across the country.

“We are focusing on organised crime in the Dublin inner city but unfortunately it’s not confined to that area and the people that are engaged in that kind of criminality have links all across the country and that’s why we find ourselves in counties Wexford and Cavan and so on,” he said.

“The important thing from our perspective is the focus of this operation. It is to reduce or take out the impact of criminal activities, organised crime activities, in the Dublin inner city at the moment.”

Eleven of the men arrested were last night being questioned at a number of garda stations.

Earlier, a 23-year-old man among those detained was charged and brought before the courts. He was remanded in custody with consent to bail to appear before Cloverhill court on Friday. A 17-year-old was charged and released. He is due before the Children’s Court on December 16.

Seven of the men were detained under tough laws against organised crime, including participation and contribution to activities to enhance a criminal gang, and others over trafficking offences. Garda sources said that a significant amount of material was recovered during the raids including paperwork, computer files, bullet proof vests and mobile phones. A small amount of cocaine, regarded as for personal use, was also seized.

It is understood two of the key players in the gang were detained in the raids – one in the Wexford area.

Scores of bank account details and statements were also recovered with detectives satisfied the documents will help put together a money trail.

About 300 officers from the drugs squad at Store Street in Dublin, the elite Emergency Response Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Organised Crime Unit, air support, dog handlers and the riot squad were briefed on the operation in the early hours at Garda headquarters, Phoenix Park.

At about 4am a convoy of Garda vehicles headed to search homes, business premises and other property.

The Sheriff St/Oriel Street area has been at the centre of a bloody gang war for several years after two factions emerged following the jailing of crime boss Christy Griffin for sex attacks on his partner’s daughter. At least four murders are linked to the feud.

The intelligence-led operation targeted one gang opposed to Griffin in the area.

A Garda spokesman said the raids were co-ordinated from Store Street as part of an on-going intelligence-led investigation into drug trafficking.