Two gardaí suspended and charged with corruption offences after alleged ‘dodgy' drugs search
Two gardaí are due to appear before a court in the midlands in the coming weeks, charged with corruption offences linked to a drugs search.
It follows a lengthy investigation by the anti-corruption unit (GACU) into the search.
It has been a torrid period for An Garda Síochána, with several serving gardaí or former members of the force appearing before the courts.
In the week when Justin Kelly was named as the successor to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, the force is also reeling from a damning report that claimed some road policing officers displayed a 'blatant disregard' and were 'openly hostile' to carrying out their duties.
The latest development involving the two gardaí and the drugs search comes after GACU was investigating if they had been involved in perverting the course of justice.
One of the suspects is a sergeant, and the other is a rank-and-file officer. Both are male and have many years' combined service in the force.
The allegation is that the search was done for the benefit of the suspects or someone else
The sergeant has been involved in a number of high-profile drug-dealing investigations. The other officer has been suspended for some time, while the sergeant was first suspended from duty on Monday after the pair were arrested by appointment. They were charged with the corruption offences and released on station bail.
News in 90 Seconds - Saturday, August 2
'This matter relates to an alleged dodgy drugs search,' a source said. 'The allegation is that the search was done for the benefit of the suspects or someone else. The search was not designed to take drugs off the streets.'
It is expected that the case will be sent forward to the circuit court, which has wider sentencing powers than the district court.
A garda spokesman said: 'As part of an ongoing investigation by the Garda Anti- Corruption Unit, two gardaí based in the north-west region were arrested, and following directions from the DPP have been charged in relation to alleged corruption offences. Both gardaí have been suspended.'
Ninety-four gardaí are currently in total suspension across the country, but most of those suspensions are not for alleged corruption matters.
An Garda Síochána's anti-corruption unit is involved in a number of separate investigations, including a probe into a now suspended Dublin-based garda over an alleged plot on the Dark Web to have his ex-partner murdered. He has not been arrested.
A number of gardaí have appeared in court in other high-profile criminal cases in recent weeks
Last week, MMA fighter Charlie Ward (44) and a 57-year-old other man were returned for trial, accused of corruption offences involving 'confidential' garda information and helping to pervert the course of justice.
That followed an investigation by the anti-corruption unit, and the DPP directed trial on indictment at Dublin Circuit Court.
When outgoing commissioner Drew Harris set up the anti-corruption unit, he said there was no reason why Ireland should be any different from other European countries when it came to dealing with corrupt and criminal activities of a small number of individual officers.
Separately, a number of gardaí have appeared in court in other high-profile criminal cases in recent weeks.
The cases include former garda Shane Flanagan (39), with an address in Co Clare, was jailed for seven years this week for impersonating a female colleague online and encouraging strangers to go to her house to rape her and her young daughters.
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