Gardaí were yesterday questioning a couple in their 30s following the discovery of €150,000 worth of stolen farm machinery and building equipment during searches of farms in north Cork.
A team of 27 uniformed and plainclothes gardaí, along with two Department of Agriculture officials, carried out searches under warrant at three farms at Clondulane, three miles east of Fermoy, yesterday morning.
Officers recovered a tractor and dumper trailer worth an estimated €50,000 belonging to Independent Kerry county councillor and roads contractor Danny Healy-Rae. The machinery had been stolen from Bonane near Kenmare, Co Kerry, about 10 days ago.
Gardaí also recovered six Ifor Williams trailers worth €30,000 to €40,000, two cement mixers, a quantity of slates, and several power tools, including drills, welders and angle grinders, in the searches of the farms and a house.
According to Supt Con Cadogan of Fermoy Garda station, who headed the operation, the items were hidden in a variety of locations, including disused sheds. Gardaí were currently logging the items in an effort to trace their owners.
He said gardaí were able to trace the tractor and dumper truck via their registration plates. They informed Mr Healy-Rae of the find, and he travelled to north Cork yesterday to recover his property.
Gardaí believe the other items were stolen in Cork, Kerry and Limerick over the past few months.
Yesterday at noon, gardaí arrested a husband and wife in their early 30s under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
This allows gardaí to hold suspects for 24 hours, and the pair were brought to Fermoy Garda station for questioning about the property.
According to Supt Cadogan, the operation followed the receipt of information from members of the public on drug-dealing in the Fermoy and Rathcormac areas after a 19-year-old youth died in the area from a suspected cocaine overdose.
"We have had a tremendous response from the community around Fermoy and Rathcormac after our appeal for information on drug-dealing in the area. And among the intelligence we received was information which led us to the recovery of this machinery," he said.