State agencies involved in crackdown on metal thieves

Hundreds of gardaí, Customs, Revenue, and social welfare officials have been involved in a major crackdown on people engaged in the multimillion-euro theft of metals.

As part of an EU-wide co-ordinated operation to tackle the growing problem, the multi-agency taskforce started the crackdown at 8am yesterday in a 24-hour operation targeting thieves who have stripped the country of everything from bronze statues of Celtic goddesses to copper cables.

The theft of metal has been replicated throughout the EU and police forces across the Continent believe the metal is being smelted down and exported to emerging economies in India and China “to furnish their furnaces”.

The Garda press office was remaining tight-lipped last night about the locations of the raids, but the number is believed to be “significant”.

Although there are 31 Garda divisions across the country, not all took part in the crackdown. Some were concentrating on intelligence-gathering to see where “under surveillance” vehicles were going to and forwarding their intelligence to colleagues in those areas.

One senior source said it was a three-pronged operation aimed at people who have legitimate recycling licences “but who may have turned a blind eye” as to what they receive from “third parties”.

A Garda spokesman said they “wanted to check on businesses involved in recycling of material who we suspect were in breach of their permits in taking in dodgy stuff”.

Social protection officers are also looking at records of those supposedly unemployed who are claiming benefits while indulging in the trade.

Many sectors, particularly the farming community, say the theft of metal gates and other metal materials is a major problem. During a search of one site at Spitland in Limerick, gardaí uncovered drugs with a street value of about €20,000.

Chief Supt David Sheahan, head of the Limerick Garda division said: “We engaged about 10 heavy lifting vehicles for the operation and a considerable amount of materials was removed to a storage area. When we went to the site at Spitland, we had a drugs search warrant.”