Law « Thurles Information

Gardaí Seek Your Immediate Help.

**Image Courtesy An Garda Síochána**, **Tipperary**.

Gardaí, covering the Clonmel area of Co. Tipperary, are appealing for immediate assistance from the public, in relation to the theft of 4 different Catalytic Converters stolen from vehicles in the the areas of Clonmel, Drangan and Cloneen, between the 10th and 11th of August 2021 last.

It is believed that 4 male individuals travelling in a Blue Skoda Octavia (sports type) may have been involved in these 4 thefts.

Gardaí, today, are appealing to people with CCTV or Dashcam footage to make contact with them on Tel: 052 6177640.
Clonmel Gardaí are also appealing for people to be vigilant of their property and that of their community and to report immediately any suspicious activity to your local Garda Station.

€900K Stolen From Students In Rental Fraud Incidents.

An Garda Síochána are advising students and parents in Co. Tipperary and elsewhere, to be aware of rental accommodation scams, especially at this time of year, as students are preparing to return to college. A known €900,000 has been stolen in rental scams over the past 3 years; same transactions which become almost impossible to trace .

Due mainly to Covid-19 restrictions, accommodation frauds have declined over the past 15 months, however Gardaí are once again highlighting such incidents of fraud which could affect not just a new generation of third level students seeking accommodation, but also the lives of those already established within our education system.

Gardaí highlight a total of 503 cases of rental fraud, reported between February 1st, 2019 and May 31st, 2021; of which just 50% occurred in the Dublin city area.

Some 42% of all the injured parties were under the age of 25 years, while some 72% were under the age of 35 years.

Gardaí are asking those in search of rented accommodation to be wary especially if a website or other advertising agency is asking prospective tenants to send money to a random PayPal address, wire same via Western Union, pay in gift cards or in cryptocurrency; since the latter methods are used to avoid detection thus ensuring that such transaction can never be reversed.

More Gardaí Interviewed Over Alleged Cancellation Of Penalty Notices.

We reliably understand that at least a further 12 individual members of an Garda Síochána have now been interviewed at a Limerick Garda station, following an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigations (GNBCI) into alleged cancellations of fixed charge penalty notices and similar court summonses.

We further understand that none of the Gardaí; all who were interviewed by scheduled appointment and under caution, were arrested.

Allegations against members of the Garda force serving in Tipperary, Clare, Kerry, Wicklow, Galway, Waterford, and the Dublin Metropolitan Region, are also the subject of similar investigations.

Books of evidence have already been served, in early July of this year, on four serving Gardaí and one retired Garda Superintendent, all who stand accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice, over a three-year period.

Same Garda force members are awaiting trial on a total of 42 counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice as part of this same GNBCI probe. All allegations relate to the cancellation of fixed charge notices which in turn relate to speeding; driving without insurance; failing to produce insurance and the handling of mobile phones, while driving.

The five accused facing trial at Limerick Circuit Court are Garda Mr Tom McGlinchey, aged 49, with an address in Co. Tipperary; Superintendent Mr Eamon O’Neill, (retired) aged 54; Garda Mr Colm Geary aged 35; Sergeant Ms Anne Marie Hassett aged 37, (previously named three Garda members having addresses in Co Clare), and Sergeant Ms Michelle Leahy, aged 45, with an address in Co Limerick.

The internal probe is being led by Chief Superintendent Ms Angela Willis, whose promotion to the head of the specialised garda investigation unit, was announced recently.

Drugs – Some Destined for Tipperary – Seized At Dublin Postal Sorting Centre.

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool Bailey, Sam and Flynn”. – With apologies to President Abraham Lincoln

Drug parcels with street value contents estimated at some €108,000; some of which were intended for Co. Tipperary, have now been seized by Revenue officers at a Dublin Mail Centre.

Following a routine operation yesterday, some 5.3kgs of herbal cannabis, almost 270g of cannabis oil , together with butane honey oil (Latter a relatively new method of administering or ingesting cannabis, known in the trade as ‘Dabs’, ‘Shatter’, or ‘Wax Butter’ ) and 450g of cannabis edibles, (e.g. Infused Chocolate, Jelly Gummies, Nut Butter etc), were located by Revenue detector dog “Bailey”.

The seizures announced today are part of Revenue’s ongoing operations targeting the importation of illegal drugs.

The illegal drugs were located we understand in 21 separately, mailed packages that originated initially in Spain, United Kingdom and the USA.

These parcels had been declared as containing items such as ‘Pillows’, ‘Toys’, ‘Sports Shoes’, ‘Custom Stationary’ and ‘Wine Tubs’.

The parcels were destined for delivery in Tipperary, Clare, Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Clare, Kerry, Leitrim, Antrim, as well as to overseas destinations.

Further investigations are continuing.

**Heroin seized at Rosslare Europort, Co Wexford**.

Meanwhile, some 88kg of heroin, worth over €12 million, has been seized at Rosslare Europort in Co Wexford. Again Revenue officers detected the drugs yesterday afternoon, as part of an intelligence-led operation, aided by detector dogs ‘Sam’ and ‘Flynn’.

The discovery was made when a truck and low-loader trailer was stopped and searched, after it arriving into the Wexford port from mainland Europe.

Gardaí Investigate Vehicle Collision Near Thurles, Co. Tipperary

Thurles Gardaí attended at the scene of a road traffic collision in the area of the Horse & Jockey near Thurles, Co. Tipperary yesterday (August 3rd 2021) at approximately 5.50pm.

The Vehicles involved included a lorry and a motorcyclist.

A man understood to be from the locality, aged in his 50s was injured and taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment.

A man in his 80s was arrested and conveyed to Templemore Garda Station.
He was later released, pending a file being forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Investigations remain ongoing.