Three still questioned over illegal dumping

Three people were still being questioned today by police probing money laundering linked to illegal dumping in Northern Ireland.

Another three arrested, including a man held in Derbyshire where a diesel laundering plant and machinery were seized, have been released.

Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland were involved in Tuesday’s arrests, which followed a lengthy intelligence-led operation against criminals making millions from illegal dumping on both sides of the Irish border.

A total of 150 officers took part, as well as police in Derbyshire and the Republic.

Four men and two women were detained in total.

Money was also recovered in a series of 18 searches in Belfast, north Antrim and the Derrylin area of Co Fermanagh where three men and two women were detained.

At one stage scientists from Queen’s University in Belfast, using equipment designed to locate deeply-buried waste, were called in to carry out an inspection at one site.

But as detectives continued their investigation, the man arrested in Derbyshire was released pending a report by Customs and Excise into alleged diesel laundering.

Another was freed on bail while the third was released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service.

The Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland set up a special team to deal with growing levels of illegal dumping after it emerged that up to two illegal sites were being discovered each week containing tens of thousands of tonnes of waste from homes and businesses across the Irish Republic.

Last September three truckloads of waste were seized in a joint cross-border police operation.

Two months later an estimated £200,000 (€293,000) worth of stolen goods were found at a quarry near Derrylin, including tractors, one of which was traced back to Perth, Scotland.

Police believe criminals are involved in the theft and transfer of plant machinery worth £1.7m (€2.5m) every year.