Gardaí link foreign gang to theft of motorboats

Gardaí have made a major breakthrough in their battle against foreign-based crime gangs who have stolen hundreds of thousands of euro worth of outboard motors from marinas in Co Cork.

A senior garda said they recently intercepted a consignment of stolen outboard motors which was concealed under tonnes of clothing and were set to be smuggled out of the country in a container.

Chief superintendent Tom Hayes, who is in charge of policing in the Cork West Garda Division, told a meeting of the Cork County Joint Policing Committee that two other arrests had been made over foreign gang members who had been stealing other high-value products, which were also likely to be destined for resale on foreign markets.