Eight held in crackdown on organised Dublin thieves

Six men and two women were arrested today as gardaí mounted a series of dawn raids to crackdown on organised theft gangs in Dublin city centre.

The eight suspects are all originally from Romania and aged between 16 and 40.

Detectives believe they were involved in carrying out a string of thefts and robberies targeting people and property in city centre streets.

The searches and arrests were carried out by gardaí from Store Street and the Garda National Immigration Bureau as part of the two-month long Operation Hawkeye 2.

Accompanied by interpreters, teams of officers raided 19 addresses in the North Circular Road and Marlborough Road areas.

Chief Superintendent Mick Feehan said: “Unfortunately, in recent months some people have fallen victim to thefts which are perpetrated by a small group of organised criminals.

“Today’s operation is part of a determined and focused operation by members of An Garda Síochána which is directed at ensuring that Dublin city centre remains a secure and enjoyable place for everyone.

“We will continue to work with the community, partner agencies and the business community to maintain a safe and vibrant city centre into the future.”

Hawkeye was set up to crack down on the high numbers of apparently organised thefts from people in Dublin city centre.

Gangs have been targeting people who leave handbags, wallets and phones unattended, leave goods visible in their cars or who do not guard valuables when in queues or crowds.

The eight arrested were taken to Store Street and Mountjoy garda stations for questioning under section four of the Criminal Justice Act.

A small amount of drugs and stolen property was recovered in the operation.