Clonmel Gardaí and Members of the Detective unit stationed at Clonmel Garda Station; together with ISPCA Inspectors yesterday seized 18 dogs and 3 cats, during a planned operation within the district.
Pictures Courtesy Tipperary Gardaí.
This planned operation was aimed at targeting serious breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare Act, 2013 and all these animals have now been taken into the proper care of the ISPCA.
Breeds seized include Chihuahuas, Pugs, Bichon Frise and Terriers some of which appear to be in pup.
The seizure was made shortly after 11:00am yesterday and one male was arrested by Gardaí at the scene for obstructing the Gardaí in their planned search.
As part of an on-going money laundering and proceeds of crime investigation, the Criminal Assets Bureau conducted a search of one motor dealership here in Co. Tipperary this morning, Thursday 21st October 2021.
This operation carried out this morning was linked to a recent CAB search operation conducted at a motor dealership in Dublin 15, on September 6th last, during which seven high value vehicles were seized and the subsequent seizure of a Jaguar I Pace(All Electric vehicle), valued at some €80,000, on September 28th 2021.
Today’s Co. Tipperary exploration by CAB involved the search of a motor dealership by 24 Criminal Assets Bureau officers.
Eleven vehicles in total were seized and removed from today’s search site, four of which were detained for customs/VRT offences.
The seized vehicles included: – 5 x Audi Q7; 2 x Range Rover; 2 x BMW X5; 1 x Audi A4 and 1 x VW Passat. In addition to these high value vehicles take possession of; €11,000 in cash was also seized.
This morning’s operation was conducted as part of an on-going money laundering and proceeds of crime investigation targeting assets linked to a significant East European Organised Crime Group (OCG), same operating within the jurisdiction of this State.
Growing availability in Ireland of food products, in particular jelly sweets containing significant amounts of illicit narcotic drug THC.
Yesterday, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) urged the public, especially parents and guardians, to be extremely vigilant to the dangers of inadvertent consumption, particularly by children, of cannabis edibles; same products such as jelly sweets containing the psychoactive cannabis component known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
There is growing availability in Ireland of food products, in particular jelly sweets that contain significant amounts of the illicit narcotic drug THC. The FSAI issues this warning in advance of the Halloween festivities next week where small children, teenagers and adults will be celebrating and where there is an increased risk of people, particularly children, unwittingly consuming these types of products that are intentionally packaged to resemble popular brands of jellies in order to avoid detection.
Cannabis edibles are illegal food products containing THC and come in many forms, but primarily jelly sweets. THC is a controlled substance in Ireland with a zero tolerance under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1977. Furthermore, in food, THC is considered a contaminant, with no permitted threshold in EU or Irish food law.
The FSAI states that the high concentrations (up to 50mg/jelly) of THC in these illicit edible sweets can pose serious health risks, particularly to teenagers and children of all ages whose neurological, physical and physiological development could be impacted negatively.
Depending on the THC concentration, eating one of these jellies can mean ingesting a level of THC that is 5-10 times higher than that inhaled when smoking cannabis.
The real concern is that children are not aware of the dangers and if they manage to gain access to a bag of these jellies, they will rarely eat just one and therefore, overdosing is a very likely outcome. Unlike the almost immediate effects from smoking cannabis, there is at least a thirty-minute time delay from consumption of cannabis edibles, until the initial effects are felt. This poses a serious risk to those who have eaten these jellies who might mistakenly believe that they need to consume several jellies to feel an effect and then find they have overdosed when it is too late. Cannabis toxicity can cause cognitive and motor impairment and in the case of children this can be extreme, lasting up to 24 to 36 hours after consumption.
This call by the FSAI follows reports of the first cases of paediatric cannabis poisoning in Ireland with six children, all under the age of ten, hospitalised after accidentally consuming these illegal jelly sweets. In addition, there have also been reports of teenagers falling seriously ill, and in some cases requiring hospitalisation after having seizures and becoming unconscious from overdosing on these cannabis edibles.
Dr Pamela Byrne, (Chief Executive, FSAI) says the accidental consumption of edible cannabis products by children is extremely worrying.
Poor enforcement of existing laws by Department of Agriculture & Local Authorities highlighted.
Ireland’s shocking multi-million-euro puppy trade was exposed by a BBC investigation broadcast on Tuesday night last. The Spotlight programme showed how thousands of pups, some sick and dying, and often crammed into boxes, are being smuggled into Scotland, same having begun their life under most unsatisfactory conditions.
The BBC investigation team revealed 25,000 to 30,000 pups from the Irish Republic are being smuggled from puppy farms and backstreet breeders here in Ireland, into Scotland and mainland UK each year, through the Port of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Picture courtesy BBC.
Undeniable video footage, same of which depicted upsetting scenes, were shown of these unfortunate animals; some seriously ill even before they had begun their journey; some travelling without food and water; some gasping for air, some cowering in terror. Many die because of the squalid conditions in which they are bred, while others die after being purchased by unwitting families. t was fairly established that most of these dogs come from the Irish Republic.
Mr Brian Gillen, head of the Dublin SPCA, told the ‘Spotlight’ team that there was, he believed, more money in smuggling pups, than in smuggling drugs, yet there are no real penalties if discovered puppy smuggling. The Irish Government has yet to introduce any real penalties and if those in the puppy trade smuggle 100 pups at an asking price of £1,000 per pup in many cases, you have £100,000. Back-street breeders are using back garden sheds to breed because there is so much easy money to be made, if animals are smuggled in the boots of vehicles, or concealed in stifling cargo.
Most smugglers are never caught or identified, but for those who are, fines are minuscule within the Irish Republic. When one named dealer was stopped by Gardaí in the Tipperary area, we understand from this broadcast that he had 50 to 60 puppies.
EU regulations ban the export of pups aged under 15 weeks, in an effort to ensure they have been fully vaccinated against disease. Puppy smuggling gangs are now using UK microchips and passports while inserting the chips into the dogs to disguise their initial origins
Poor enforcement of existing laws by the Department of Agriculture and by Local Authorities, ensure that the distressful and heart-rending scenes which were highlighted by the BBC on Tuesday night last, will continue sustained and uninterrupted.
Criminal Assets Bureau established 25 years ago today.
Minister acknowledges the enormous contribution of this innovative law enforcement agency.
The Minister for Justice, Ms Heather Humphreys TD, has marked the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Criminal Assets Bureau with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Chief Bureau Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins.
The then Government of the time established the Bureau following the murder of the journalist Veronica Guerin and the subsequent enactment of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 and the Criminal Assets Bureau Act 1996.
Speaking at today’s press conference, Minister Humphreys stated, “It is a great honour for me in my capacity as both Minister for Justice and Minister for Social Protection to congratulate the Criminal Assets Bureau on its 25th anniversary. The Bureau has been one of the great success stories in Irish law enforcement. Since its inception, the Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime in this jurisdiction and disrupting the activities of criminal gangs, by depriving them of ill-gotten assets.”
CAB recently published their annual report for 2020. Some of the notable recent actions in 2020 include in excess of €4.2 million being returned to the Exchequer and thirty-one new applications before the High Court under Proceeds of Crime legislation.
Minister Humphreys added, “The key to the success of the Bureau is the multi-agency team approach comprising Gardaí, customs officers, revenue officials and social protection personnel. Over the last 25 years, the Bureau has retrieved hundreds of millions of euros in proceeds of crime, unpaid taxes and fraudulently obtained welfare payments. The Bureau has had some notable recent success with seizures of cryptocurrencies and the return of €5.5million of misappropriated funds to the Federal Republic of Nigeria“.
“The Government is committed to supporting the future development and success of the Bureau and it is correct that we mark the 25th anniversary of its establishment with the creation of the Community Safety Innovation Fund, which will reflect the success of the CAB by providing additional funding for projects which will increase community safety”.
The Minister continued, “I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to all past and current members of the Bureau for their exemplary service to the State and for their contribution to making the Criminal Assets Bureau such a success”.
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