North Galway arrests linked to Real IRA attempted drinks theft

THE arrests of a number of people from the North Galway area last week are understood to be linked to a drinks swoop in Co Louth when armed detectives foiled an alleged plot by a Real IRA gang to steal a shipment of alcohol.[private] Six people were arrested in Westmeath and Louth regarding the incident during which two trailer-loads of spirits, beer and cider were recovered by heavily armed officers from the Garda Emergency Response Unit on Sunday night week. In separate searches in the Tuam area later last week two others, a man and a woman, were arrested and items, understood to be stolen, were seized by Gardai. Questioned in Tuam The two people arrested were taken to Tuam Garda Station for questioning and later released. They were subsequently charged with theft offences to appear at Tuam District Court yesterday (Tuesday). The two were remanded on bail. There was no stolen alcohol among the items recovered by the Gardai in the North Galway searches. But two of the six arrested in Westmeath and Louth are understood to have addresses in the Tuam area and the others are from counties Derry and Tyrone. One of those arrested is a member of a well-known North of Ireland Republican family. While the investigations into the drinks heist are being spearheaded by members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit the searches and arrests in North Galway were carried out by gardai and detectives from Galway Garda Division. In the incident on the M1 motorway near Drogheda the armed officers intercepted one of the trucks and the driver of the second is understood to have disconnected the cab from the trailer. He and two others fled in the cab. It was found burnt out some distance from the scene where the others were arrested. In a follow-up operation in the early hours of Monday morning three others were detained at Delvin, Co Westmeath. The six men were taken for questioning at Drogheda, Balbriggan, Kells and Navan Garda Stations. They were later released and investigations into the incident are continuing.[/private]