Suspected dog food thief bites off more than he could chew as gun and drugs seized

EAGLE-EYED gardai have taken an illegal firearm and thousands of euros worth of drugs off the streets after sniffing out a suspected dog food thief in County Limerick.

Gardai in Newcastle West were making follow-up enquiries after the theft of bags of nuts from a store in the town.

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The officers’ investigations led them to the address of a person who appears to have bitten off more than he could chew. 

Limerick Live has learned that while gardai were in the property they observed plants growing in the garden which raised their suspicions.

Gardai secured a search warrant and returned to the house in Gortboy, Newcastle West on Thursday, September 18.

Gardai shared on their An Garda Siochana Limerick social media pages that they seized a gun and cannabis plants during their searches.

“Gardaí from Newcastle West Community Engagement seized a .22 calibre pistol and €8,000 worth of cultivated plants suspected to be cannabis as part of ongoing operations targeting the sale and supply of controlled drugs,” read the post.

A garda spokesperson told the Limerick Leader: “No arrests have been made at this time as investigations are ongoing.”

The suspected cannabis plants have been sent to Forensic Science Ireland for the exact value to be determined while the pistol will be forwarded to the Garda Technical Bureau for testing and ballistics analysis.

It is understood that a file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions when gardai receive the results of the analysis.