Thurles Information

A court heard today that a Lithuanian male, Mr Tomas Mikalajunas, was accidentally shot in the face and seriously injured by armed Gardaí, when they intercepted an international burglary gang, at a checkpoint between Ardagh and Shanagolden, Co Limerick, on June 28th 2016 last.

Mr Aurimas Petraska, a Lithuanian man, aged 32, with addresses at Kaunas, Lithuania, and Church Street, Rathkeale, Co Limerick; also, a known associate of the wounded man, today pleaded guilty to a string of major burglaries, involving the theft of €150,000 of women’s clothes and ‘Chanel’ beauty products, from pharmacies across the province of Munster.

While Mr Petraska was the only member of the gang to be charged; Mr Michael Collins prosecuting, informed Limerick Circuit Court, of the gang’s precision, military style operations. Dressed in black fatigues and wearing head lights, this gang were observed on CCTV footage inside the premises they were looting; checking their watches, as they limited themselves to strictly a 6 minute operation.

Amongst the premises raided and ransacked were O’Briens Pharmacy, Cahir, Co. Tipperary, where €20,000 worth of Chanel products was stolen, together with products from two other premises; one situated in Co. Cork and one in Co. Limerick.

Mr Petraska admitted using cheap cars fitted out with cement blocks, which were used as battering rams to gain access through the fronts of these business premises.

Mr Justice Tom O’Donnell today, praised highly, members of Cork Division Gardaí, led by Det. Insp. Joe Moore; Det. Gda. Michael Brosnan, and Det. Gda. Ailish Murphy, for their professionalism in tracking the gang over a two-year period, which involved the use of both Europol and Interpol resources.

Mr Petraska, who pleaded guilty to the charges, had his sentencing adjourned to May 5th 2017 next.

Three Laois brothers, in custody since their arrest last July, appeared before Portlaoise Circuit Criminal Court earlier this month. The three men were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into rural thefts in the counties Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Carlow and Kilkenny.

In the course of this operation two Garda patrol cars were rammed by a 4×4 Jeep and four Gardaí ended up in hospital.

Mr Thomas McInerney, aged 40, of Twomey Park, Mountmellick; Mr William McInerney, aged 35, of Newline Close, Mountrath and Mr Gerard McInerney aged 38 of Woodbrook, Mountrath, all faced nine separate counts each, (27 counts in all) of possession of stolen property including a Jeep, a trailer, a bolt cutter, a hacksaw, a nail bar, wire cutters, snips and a claw hammer.

The three accused pleaded guilty to all charges and were further remanded in custody, to be sentenced at a hearing on June 13th 2017 next, when victim impact statements will be heard.

State prosecutor, Mr Will Fennelly requested that the case be adjourned, as in this matter there remained a number of other injured parties who were all anxious to attend court. The presiding Judge Mr Keenan Johnson further ordered Probation reports and Governor’s reports on each of the accused.

The arrests, which concerned five Garda units all being involved, has been hailed by Portlaoise Garda Chief Superintendent Mr John Scanlon, as being a significant breakthrough in the fight against rural crime in north Tipperary.

A drugs haul, worth in the region of €850,000, discovered in a house in Resika, Kilcommon, Thurles, Co. Tipperary yesterday, is now believed to have links to the Limerick City, jailed, Collopy criminal gang.

One male suspect, aged 45, living in St Mary’s Park, Limerick city, was arrested as part of this planned Garda operation, and is understood to have close links with Brian and Kieran Collopy.

The suspect is still being questioned today, at Thurles Garda Station, under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking Act) 1996, latter Act which allows Gardaí to question suspects for up to seven days without charge.

The Limerick City Collopy criminal gang first got involved in the drug trade sometime in the late 1990’s. The family, also from St Mary’s Park, became involved with the Keane gang headed up by brothers Christy and Kieran, who were already operating a lucrative drug enterprise.

The Collopy gang are understood to have located a consignment of drugs then owned by the Keanes, which the Collopy gang then took possession of and independently sold.  Despite their anger the Keane gang came to the  realisation that the Collopy gang had an exceptional talent of quickly moving illicit drug products onto the streets. Instead of chastising the Collopy’s for their actions; instead they enlisted the Collopy’s to assist directly using their realised talents.

In January 2003, Kieran Keane was kidnapped, tortured and shot dead. Christy Keane, would have better luck, going on to serve part of a ten year jail sentence for possession of cannabis valued at €250,000, while surviving a second attempt on his life in 2015.

At the height of the Limerick feud, the Keane’s had fought a turf war with the McCarthy’s from Moyross and their cousins, the Dundon’s, latter who operated in Ballinacurra Weston. The Collopy family appear to have stepped back from this feud, concentrating solely on selling drugs to old established wholesalers.  With Christy now in jail and Kieran deceased, the Collopy gang took advantage of this lucrative vacuum naturally created in St Mary’s Park.

After years of evading all prosecution Brian and Kieran Collopy were each jailed for eight years last July; both pleading guilty to possessing nearly €40,000 worth of heroin, for sale or supply, on December 15th, 2015.

On an earlier date both men, had been observed associating with Dublin drug lord George “Penguin” Mitchell, at a Supermacs outlet in Portlaoise, Co. Laois. Both had been under strict Garda surveillance.

Gardaí now believe, that despite being resident in jail; the Collopy’s continue to run their lucrative illicit drugs business, directly from behind bars.