‘A message needed to be sent’: Limerick gardai hurt feuding gang in pocket... and wardrobe!

GARDAI hit the biggest crime gang on the southside of the city in the pocket and in their wardrobes with one of the biggest operations in the division in recent times.

Over 100 gardai conducted 17 searches at properties in Ballinacurra Weston, Southill and in County Clare on Tuesday which led to the seizure of cash, designer watches and clothes with a combined estimated value of over €235,000. 

Limerick Live understands that hundreds of thousands of euros in bank accounts linked to the drug dealers have also been frozen.

The gang, who have filled the void left by the Dundon McCarthys, have “taken over”, according to one garda source. 

“They are the biggest now on the southside of the city and the most high profile,” they said.

Many of those at the top of the drugs organisation have been locked up by gardai or are before the courts. 

“They are still dictating everything from prison,” said the source.

READ MORE: Limerick man charged with €16k damage to bar in famous GAA club

The gang have been engaged in a long-running feud with rivals on the southside of the city. Gardai’s intelligence-led operation on Tuesday can be traced back to last October when there were a number of houses fire-bombed in Southill. A man and a woman had to be hospitalised due to injuries sustained in separate arson attacks. 

In another incident, an improvised explosive device was thrown into a house with an elderly couple and a child. Thankfully, it didn’t explode.

“They have learned how to make them from the internet. They are lethal. They have changed tack,” said the source.

The feud sparked up again this week with the Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal having to travel down from Cork twice in three days to make suspect devices safe.

“Someone is going to be seriously hurt or killed by these devices. They are reckless people,” said the source.

After months of planning, gardai decided to move early on Tuesday morning as “a message needed to be sent”.

Co-ordinated by Roxboro Road garda station, the operation involved more than 100 members of An Garda Síochána at divisional, regional and national level, including the Regional Armed Support Unit, the Garda Dog Unit and the Emergency Response Unit, which travelled down from Dublin.

There were around 16 jeeps full of armed gardai. The gardai congregated before 6am and a short time later commenced the dawn raids. 

Gardai had to force entry at a number of properties linked to the most high-profile street operators.

During the course of the searches, gardaí seized five vehicles, a significant amount in cash, a quantity of suspected cannabis, a number of high-value watches and a significant amount of designer goods were also seized.

These included Dolce & Gabbana trainers, costing hundreds of euros, and designer watches.

“It’s all for show,” said the source.

A garda spokesperson said: “This search operation forms part of an ongoing garda investigation aimed at disrupting a criminal group that is involved in an ongoing feud in the southside of Limerick city which has resulted in pipe bomb and arson attacks, the discharge of firearms, drug dealing and other serious incidents.

“This investigation remains ongoing,” said the spokesperson.