12 arrests as gardaí move against Traveller crime gang

GARDAÍ have arrested 12 people as part of a major operation against a notorious crime gang in the south east.

Officers hope to charge some of them, including the leaders, under powerful anti-gang legislation introduced last summer.

The Traveller gang, based in Waterford city, has been involved in a violent feud with another Traveller gang, based in Cork and Waterford, over the last three years.

This feud resulted in serious assaults, shootings and pipe bombs attacks, culminating in the murder of innocent Traveller Willie Stokes in Tipperary last December.

In a major dawn swoop yesterday, gardaí from the South Eastern division arrested 12 men during searches in Waterford, Tipperary, Cork and Dublin. The 12 can be held for up to seven days.

A large number of suspected stolen items, including laptops, mobile phones and sat navs, were confiscated and €10,000 worth of drugs recovered. They also seized weapons, including slash hooks.

“This gang is very much involved in organised crime, particularly serious burglaries and break-ins,” said a Garda source.

“We also believe they are involved in drug dealing. An associate of the gang was caught with the cocaine and cannabis.”

He said most of the 12 arrested are members of the gang, or associates.

“We have a large number of crimes linked to them through different evidence and intelligence, as well as the murder of Willie Stokes,” the source said.

Garda sources said the feud stemmed from a relatively minor assault, but escalated during 2008.