Eight arrested over series of armed raids on cash vans, ATMs

Eight people have been arrested in Dublin in connection with a series of armed raids on cash transit vans in the last six months. More than €1 million was taken in the robberies.

The eight - three women and five men - are all in their 20s. They were detained following co-ordinated raids yesterday and on Thursday by gardaí from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Emergency Response Unit and local gardaí from north and west Dublin, on houses in Finglas, Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart.

They were taken to north-side Garda stations at Coolock, Santry, Malahide and Swords. A small quantity of ammunition was also recovered.

The arrests followed the establishment by gardaí in June of Operation Delivery, to target a well-known Dublin gang believed to be behind the robberies. Headed by Chief Supt Martin Donnellan of NBCI, it involves a team of 25 detectives operating from Harcourt Sq, Dublin.

Backed by the ERU and Garda units from Finglas and Blanchardstown, they have put gang members under surveillance and gathered intelligence on their movements.

Five people remained in custody last night, while three had been released. It is understood two of the three released are female. A file has been sent to the DPP in relation to the released suspects. The remaining five were still being held for questioning at different Garda stations last night. Gardaí are trying to determine if all the recent raids were linked.

On Monday more than €500,000 was taken during a raid by armed and masked men in Bettystown, Co Meath, as money was being loaded into an ATM by security men. An estimated €250,000 was taken in almost identical circumstances in May at a petrol station on the old Dublin-Belfast road near Swords.

In February around €500,000 was stolen in three raids in Maynooth, Cornelscourt and Castleknock. Masked and armed men held up staff delivering cash to ATM machines during the three incidents. Money was taken from both the cash vans and the ATMs, which were pulled off the walls in some cases.

While nobody has been injured during the recent attacks, concern had been expressed that the frequency and armed nature of the incidents could lead to a fatality.