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Gardaí arrest two men (60s) after €10m of herbal cannabis seized in Co Clare

Gardaí arrest two men (60s) after €10m of herbal cannabis seized in Co Clare

The 500kgs of the drug was discovered as part of an intelligence-led operation carried out yesterday.
The Revenue's Customs Service, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Clare Divisional Drugs Unit, as well as gardaí from the Limerick Division took part in the joint operation.
Two men in their 60s were arrested by gardaí and are currently detained at Garda stations in Clare and Limerick under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act 1996.
A Garda spokesperson said a raid was carried out on a residential property where two pallets containing over 500kgs of cannabis herb, valued at more than €10 million, were recovered
"The seized cannabis will be sent for analysis to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI),' the spokesperson added. 'Investigations remain ongoing and further updates will follow.'
Gardaí said the seizure forms part of Operation Tara, the enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, which was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021.
The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.
Revenue added in a statement that the seizure is part of ongoing joint investigations involving organised crime groups and the importation, sale and supply of illegal drugs
'If businesses, or members of the public, have any information regarding drug smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on phone number 1800 295 295,' a Revenue spokesperson said.

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The mystery over what happened to Michael Gaine only adds to the pain
The mystery over what happened to Michael Gaine only adds to the pain

Irish Daily Mirror

time5 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

The mystery over what happened to Michael Gaine only adds to the pain

Michael Gaine should be remembered for how he lived and not for how he died, his local parish priest claimed at his funeral. Unfortunately that's unlikely to be the case as this much-loved Kerry farmer's death will always register as one of the most grotesque and macabre murders in recent years. The fact that no one has so far been held to account for this horrific murder amid growing fears that his killer might escape justice will only add to the notoriety of the case. What appears to have been a series of blunders on the part of investigating gardai in the early stages of his disappearance when vital evidence might have been available is also a cause of serious concern. Gardaí now believe the outgoing farmer who loved music and travelling was murdered soon after he returned to his isolated farmyard at Carrig East, six kilometres from Kenmare town on March 20. In his homily yesterday the Parish Priest of Kenmare Fr George Hayes said that since Michael went missing 'we've asked so many questions, and in life, sometimes there are no answers.' It is hard to argue with Fr Hayes' assessment as fears grow that the killer may never face charges because of a lack of evidence. Indeed there is a growing resignation that the chance of catching his killer has passed. The announcement by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on Friday that a review of the police investigation of the murder is to take place would also indicate that mistakes have been made. The Commissioner said there are definite lessons to be learned from investigations, that were initially treated as missing persons cases, but which were later classed as homicides. But when the 56-year old farmer disappeared on March 20 last March those closest to him realised almost immediately that this was not a missing persons case. They knew this farmer who lived for his family, relations and friends would never leave the ones he loved or the land he worked for years. Although they could never have imagined his terrible fate they must have suspected the worst as the days passed. The image caught on CCTV footage of him buying phone credit in a shop in Kenmare on the day he vanished would have convinced them, and almost everyone who saw it, that this was not the act of a man who wanted to disappear. Yet it wasn't until the end of April, over five weeks after Michael had vanished, that gardai upgraded the case to homicide. The search for Michael Gaine was one of the largest ever seen in the country involving gardai and many other organisations as well as hundreds of volunteers yet the missing man's remains were in his farmyard. The nature of its discovery only adds to the horror as the human remains were found by a relative while spreading slurry with a local agricultural contractor at the farm. It was only then that gardai fully investigated the slurry tank on Mr Gaine's farm where more of his body parts were found. Gardaí believe that his killer cut the body into pieces that were so small, they were able to push them through gaps in the grill that were just a few inches wide. This would have meant that the murderer spent many hours cutting the body apart and it is then believed he used water and disinfectant to remove forensic evidence from the scene. As to why the slurry tank was not fully inspected in the early stages of the search remains a mystery and will no doubt will be probed when the review of the investigation takes place. But on the face of it it appears that the lessons from the infamous 'Mr Moonlight' murder case - when another killer Patrick Quirke hid the body of love rival DJ Bobby Ryan in a slurry tank - had not been learned. After painstaking detective work was found to convict Quirke of murder and he was jailed for life in 2019 but there are fears that there may not be enough evidence to find Micheal Gaine's killer. Shortly after the discovery of Mr Gaine's body parts were found, gardai made an arrest and former US soldier Michael Kelley later identified himself as the man who had been questioned. Mr Kelley, who had been living on Mr Gaine's farm for three years before moving to Tralee in April, strenuously denied any involvement in the murder. He claims he is being framed by a subversive criminal organisation. Whatever has really happened, there's little doubt that Michael Gaine's funeral that Kenmare is dealing with the loss of a much-loved family man who hadn't an enemy in the world. That much was clear from the number of friends who carried photographs or items from Michael's life to the altar as he was remembered as a man who loved life to the full.

Family of Elizabeth Plunkett call for cold case review
Family of Elizabeth Plunkett call for cold case review

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time8 hours ago

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Family of Elizabeth Plunkett call for cold case review

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"The Parole Board makes its decisions to grant or refuse parole independently from the Minister for Justice." RTÉ contacted the Parole Board and the Irish Prison Service for comment; both said they do not comment on individual cases. In 2016, the Parole Board recommended that Shaw be given two days of temporary release a year under a prison escort. While the Minister for Justice at the time rejected this suggestion, that decision was later reversed in 2020. Shaw's most recent escorted visit out of prison was granted just two weeks ago, in late May, when he was brought to Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, in the company of prison staff and later returned to custody. Kathleen Nolan and Bernie Plunkett, sisters of Elizabeth Plunkett told RTÉ News: "We're relieved that this individual, who confessed to abducting, raping and murdering our beloved Elizabeth has once again been refused parole. "However, he has still not faced justice for what he did to our sister. This is why we're telling Elizabeth's story in the podcast series Stolen Sister, to bring wider public attention to our plight - and to seek for any new witnesses that might be able to help our case. "We're calling on the DPP to tell us why this man never faced the courts for what he did to our Elizabeth. And we're asking gardaí to now re-examine his case so Elizabeth can finally get some justice." If anyone has any information on John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans, the Plunkett family have asked that you contact the podcast makers through documentaries@

Garda launch probe into Mike Gaine murder as chief suspect makes official complaint
Garda launch probe into Mike Gaine murder as chief suspect makes official complaint

Sunday World

time10 hours ago

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Garda launch probe into Mike Gaine murder as chief suspect makes official complaint

This week, Michael Kelley (56) made an official complaint to Fiosrú about his treatment by officers in the investigation, led by Killarney gardaí. Michael Kelley (right) is a suspect in the murder of Mike Gaine (left), but he has complained to Fiosrú about garda treatment Two probes have been launched into the garda investigation of the murder of Kerry farmer Mike Gaine. The Sunday World can reveal that last night the chief suspect for Mr Gaine's murder has made a formal complaint about his treatment by gardaí. American national Michael Kelley has lodged a complaint with Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, formerly known as the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc). This is the agency that deals with complaints about the conduct of gardaí from members of the public. Mr Kelley, a Tralee-based former soldier, has been arrested as a murder suspect, but denies any involvement. He was released without charge. 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Speaking yesterday in Templemore, Co Tipperary, the Garda Commissioner said there were lessons to be learnt from homicides that begin as a missing person case. He said gardaí have seen a real pattern around this in recent years, and they want to be sure that they have an investigative mindset in relation to a crime having been committed around a missing person report. Mr Harris said gardaí have reviewed all missing persons reports and found no other homicide cases. He also revealed that the investigation into the murder of Tina Satchwell will also be reviewed. Ms Satchwell's husband Richard was sentenced to life in prison earlier this week for her murder, after he buried her body under the stairs of their home in Youghal, Co Cork. It is understood the review of the Satchwell case will take the form of a thematic review. As part of the review, specific aspects of the original investigation will be examined to identify any problems or areas of the inquiry where lessons can be learnt, and improvements made to similar investigations in the future. Mr Harris said that 'in hindsight', it may have been 'very obvious' where Ms Satchwell's remains were. He said the 2017 search for Ms Satchwell did 'harvest' a 'huge' amount of information, which was useful in the re-examination of the case. Mr Harris said: 'All of those were crucial. So I would say the initial investigation was hamstrung because of the lack of information in comparison to the later re-examination of this matter. 'There's far more information to hand which gave us real grounds then for actual suspicion and then inquiries that we could lead. 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