Gardaí believe two major Dublin drug dealers organised and played lead roles in executing the city's latest hostage robbery on Thursday when €500,000 was taken from the Bank of Ireland in Balbriggan, Co Dublin. Conor Lally, Crime Correspondent and Ruadhán Mac Cormaicreport.
Senior Garda sources last night told The Irish Timesthey believe the gang involved carried out a similar robbery last September when €820,000 was stolen from the Permanent TSB in Northside shopping centre, Coolock, after the manageress' family members were kidnapped from their home at Clogherhead, Co Louth.
The inquiry into Thursday's robbery is now centred on a number of key figures who were last night in Garda custody at different stations across Dublin.
Reliable sources said four men arrested in a hotel in Ballymun at 1am yesterday are believed to be the nucleus of the gang behind Thursday's attack.
Four, of up to 10, gang members on Wednesday night called to the Swords home of Gerry Smith, the assistant manager of the Balbriggan bank.
The raiders took Mr Smith's wife, Margaret, and sons, Killian (23) and Conor (17), and held them hostage overnight. They then ordered Mr Smith to go to work on Thursday and withdraw €500,000 which was taken to a collection point near Malahide estuary.
A major covert Garda operation was put in place after the Bank of Ireland informed gardaí what was unfolding. Senior officers said while they were disappointed not to catch any of the raiders with the money, they expressed satisfaction at the progress in the investigation and at the safe release of the Smith family.
The location where the Smith's were held overnight has now been identified as a mobile home at Moynalty, Co Meath.
It was forensically examined by Garda technical experts yesterday and sources said any samples found there, and in cars used by the gang, would be cross checked against DNA samples taken from a number of suspects already arrested. Any forensics found would prove crucial to solving the crime.
The four key suspects in custody last night are aged between 27 and 41 years. One (41) is a very significant player in the drugs trade and while a resident of Raheny, Dublin, for many years he has been living in Cavan of late from where he has conducted a variety of organised criminal activities including top-end drug dealing.
He has been implicated in at least two murders.
Another of the Dublin men (41) is also involved in drug dealing at a very senior level and has recently had addresses in both Balbriggan and Co Louth. The two other men are also well known to gardaí.
One (30) was central to the Garda's investigation of last September's robbery in Coolock. The fourth (27) suspect has had an address in Edenmore in the recent past.
His 20-year-old brother is also suspected of involvement in Thursday's robbery. He was the man arrested at an address in Edenmore on Thursday evening and like the four main suspects was also being held last night.
An 18-year-old woman and 23-year-old man arrested in a car on the Julianstown Road, Co Meath, immediately after the raid have been released without charge. However, gardaí are satisfied that the man, who is from Priorswood in north Dublin, was involved in the robbery.
Two other women, who are close to two of the four main suspects, have also been arrested and questioned.
All of those arrested were questioned under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act. The four main suspects were being held at Lucan, Ronanstown, Kilmainham and Kevin Street garda stations.
Gardaí expect further arrests.