Gardai will resume their search this morning for £90,000 stolen in a raid on the Bank of Ireland in Ardee, Co Louth, on Monday evening. More than 30 gardai from the Louth/Meath division searched fields at Funshog, Ardee, from first light to darkness yesterday in an attempt to locate the money and a firearm dumped by the four raiders.
All four men are said to be from the Finglas area of north Dublin and to be known to gardai in connection with previous robberies and minor crimes. None has any known connection with paramilitary groups.
The robbery was well planned, and gardai believe the gang cut through metal bars on a rear window into the premises over the weekend.
Just after 5 p.m. on Monday they removed the bars, broke the glass window and entered the premises.
There were eight staff in the bank, which had just closed. The firearm, believed to be a handgun, was produced and the money, in bound bundles, was put into a number of holdalls.
The gang, who wore balaclavas, ran from the bank to a waiting car parked on a small road opposite the bank. They drove out of the busy market town using back roads, avoiding the teatime traffic. Gardai pursued the gang as they escaped. About four miles south of Ardee the raiders rammed the Garda car, forcing it to stop.
The gang continued southwards towards Collon where they abandoned the car and made an attempt to set fire to it. A few hundred pounds was found scattered on the floor by gardai who immediately began searching for the culprits.
Around 5 a.m. yesterday morning they arrested two men near Funshog and two others in Ardee town. They were taken to Drogheda and Navan Garda stations where they are detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
"This was well planned, and they had the place well cased. The bank is open until five on a Monday and people would be making large lodgements after weekend trading," said Insp Liam Conlon. "We are not sure where they spent the night but have ruled out the possibility that they stayed with people locally."
Ardee is a busy town, and yesterday retailers said they were shocked at the bank hold-up but not overly worried. Kearneys general store is beside the bank, and the proprietor, Ms Margaret Kearney, and her family live above the shop, overlooking the back of the bank.
"We were packed in here at 5 p.m. and nobody heard a thing. One of our employees said she heard glass breaking but thought it was people breaking glass bottles in the car-park."
Mr Donal McGory's pharmacy is on the other side of the junction beside the bank. "I wasn't even aware it was taking place, but within minutes people were in here saying it had been robbed. I was very surprised at anyone robbing in Ardee because of the traffic situation. You wouldn't get through the town."