THERE WAS a flurry of Garda activity in the Glenbrien/Brownswood area on Friday as armed Gardaí were joined by officers from a number of different agencies in carrying out planned searches as part of ongoing investigations into criminality in the district. Among those believed to be under investigation is a gang with connections to the notorious McCarthy-Dundon gang in Limerick.
A morning raid took place on a property between Glenbrien and Brownswood and Enniscorthy Gardaí were joined by members of the Garda Armed Response Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and customs and excise officers.
The raid was said to have been part of a larger clampdown on crime right across the Enniscorthy district and Gardaí remained coy on what exactly it was they were hoping to find.
“A garda operation was put in place in conjunction with a number of other agencies,” a spokesman for Enniscorthy Gardaí said. “This is all part of an operation investigating criminality right across the Enniscorthy area. Investigations are ongoing in the Enniscorthy area and planned searches took place at a number of premises.”
While gardaí stated that a number of raids took place at locations across the district, there seemed to be a large focus on the property between Brownswood and Glenbrien and they refused to comment on exactly what they were hoping to uncover.
The site in Glenbrien/Brownswood which was raided by Gardaí on Friday morning. Pic: John Walsh
Those believed to be the centre of garda investigations are the Reillys – a burglary gang with a big reputation for break-ins and distraction thefts in the Kildare area. Residents in the Glenbrien and Brownswood area are said to be extremely concerned by the situation, but there has been a constant Garda presence in the locality in recent weeks.
Gardaí said that the raids and investigations come under the banner of Operation Thor, which recently saw four men and a juvenile arrested in Bunclody after the van they were driving attempted to evade Gardaí. When the van was searched, they were found to be in possession of five pairs of gloves, a lump hammer, vice grips, a woolly hat and a three foot metal jemmy bar.