Latest news with #OperationThor
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Leader of notorious burglary gang hit with massive €3 million bill
Career criminal who is leader of a notorious band of burglars gets slapped with massive assessment after being targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau The leader of a notorious burglary gang that stole €340,000 in a ten-day crime spree has been slapped with a massive tax bill of €3 million. Edward Wall, who is currently serving a four-year sentence for the robbery of €19,800 worth of jewellery, has been targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). Evidence in the case stated Edward 'directed' the activities of the 'Cock Wall Gang' along with his brother John. Described as a 'career criminal', Edward Wall had put €575,897 through bank accounts over a seven-year period before he stopped using them in 2004. The huge tax assessment for €3m on undeclared monies came despite the fact 'he had no income from any known legitimate source', according to Cab Chief Officer Michael Gubbins Wall's son, John, was also targeted by the Bureau in a similar High Court case, in which orders have been sought to pay over cash in a bank account from the sale of a car seized from him. The Dramatic arrest of gang members after a car crash 'He was a member of the Cock Wall organised criminal group [OCG] and had been active with that OCG since he was in or about 10 years of age,' it was stated in evidence. 'The OCG was controlled by his father and committed burglaries throughout the country, targeting cash and jewellery.' Both men tried to hide the true ownership of the vehicles by registering them to addresses where they did not live, sometimes using false names. Edward Wall was linked to 20 other vehicles by gardaí investigating the gang's activities. Seven years have passed since the two cars were seized and declared the proceeds of crime, which allows for the assets to be handed over to the State. In the original Cab case against John Wall, it was stated how the mob had become a target for Operation Thor in a dedicated crackdown on the burglary gangs. The leadership of the gang was taken over by Edward's younger brothers Andrew and Dan Wall when he himself was previously jailed in 2015, it was claimed. Andrew, who has a conviction for manslaughter, and his brother Dan are also described as career criminals with multiple convictions. Key figures: Thomas Wall, above, Martin Wall, below, and Patrick Wall, bottom . . The gang operated in a highly organised way, working in groups of four and five to carry out multiple burglaries in a single night. They would attempt to escape if challenged by officers and as a result several garda vehicles have been rammed at high speed. The gang are known for using juveniles who 'ultimately progress in adulthood to fully fledged members of the OCG'. Edward Wall's nephew was also recently targeted by Cab. The Sunday World previously reported how Thomas Wall had been named as a leader of a separate gang allegedly responsible for the theft of €270,000 worth of property in a three-month period. The incredible haul came from a total of 15 burglaries and emerged in speparate Cab case against Thomas Wall, who was a teen at the time. Gang leader Edward has been served with a €3m tax demand Garda Michael Gubbins said Thomas Wall has been 'previously a member of the Cock Wall OCG, which was directed by two of his uncles'. Operation Thor also saw gardaí put surveillance operations in place and resulted in several members of the gang being arrested and charged with offences. Last year, Edward Wall pleaded guilty during a trial to a burglary in Killiney, Dublin, on February 19, 2021, in which gold jewellery worth €19,800 was taken. Two people, aged 83 and 79, were in the property at the time but were unaware of the robbery as they were in a different part of the bungalow. Wall, along with Martin Wall (45) and Patrick Wall (21), had initially pleaded not guilty but subsequently changed their pleas to guilty. The men were arrested at Mackintosh Park in Dún Laoghaire following a Garda operation. The gang's world came crashing down following this smash in Naas, Co. Kildare A Garda officer told the court they carried out surveillance after receiving intelligence about a gold Mercedes that was going to be used for criminal activity. The car was observed driving on the M50 and seen to carry out anti-surveillance manoeuvres, the court heard. The court heard brothers Edward and Martin stayed in the vehicle and Patrick and another man entered the house through a bedroom window. Gardaí later arrested the men and two others and found a number of items including a crowbar, lump hammer and torch in the car. Judge Elva Duffy jailed Edward and Martin for four years and Patrick was sentenced to three-and-a-half years with the final 12 months suspended. Patrick Wall was previously, convicted of possession of stolen property after €79,000 was dug up from a field in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, the court heard.
Irish Post
2 days ago
- Irish Post
New crime figures show a steep rise in arson and fraud in Ireland
FRAUD offences have risen in the first half of the year, with new Garda figures showing a 73% increase compared to last year. The major rise, detailed in provisional crime statistics released by An Garda Síochána, shows a complex picture of criminal activity across Ireland. The sharpest rise among fraud categories was in forgery and the use of false instruments, which rose by 200%. Other major increases included deception-related offences, which are up nearly 180%. Online shopping fraud rose 166%, and money laundering increased by 82%. Lesser but still notable increases included bogus tradesmen scams, up 57%; accommodation fraud, 22%, and account takeover fraud, 18%. Despite the general rise in certain areas of crime, some categories did see dips. Phishing incidents fell by more than a quarter, while reports of counterfeit currency dropped by 88%. Insurance fraud also saw a marked 45% reduction. Surprisingly, arson rates have surged, and it now ranks as the second-fastest-growing crime in Ireland, increasing by 20% compared to the first six months of 2024. However, other criminal damage incidents fell by 14%, suggesting that the rise in arson may reflect more targeted or deliberate actions rather than a broader pattern of property-related crime. Sexual offences continue on an upward trend, with a 4% increase in rape reports and a 7% rise in non-aggravated sexual assault cases. Gardaí reported a 16% decline in child sexual abuse material and related offences, though they acknowledged that overall reports of sexual offences had risen nationally compared to 2024. Meanwhile, Gardaí are intensifying their efforts to dismantle high-level burglary gangs that are believed to be responsible for a significant portion of break-ins across the country. Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) revealed that half a dozen gangs, mainly from Dublin and Kildare, are under active investigation. 'These are not your average opportunistic burglars,' Boland said. 'They are professional, organised, and undeterred by alarms, CCTV or even dogs. They will target high-security homes without hesitation.' He explained that when such gangs are intercepted, local burglary rates often plummet for months. Under Operation Thor , the national initiative targeting burglary networks, residential burglaries have dropped by 13% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with an average of 14 break-ins per day across Ireland. Intelligence-sharing with police in Britain and Ireland has become crucial, as some criminal groups relocate abroad when pressure intensifies in Ireland. Beyond fraud and burglary, road traffic collisions were down 2%, with over 22,000 incidents reported by the end of June. However, driving while intoxicated rose by 8%, reflecting ongoing concerns around road safety enforcement. Between January and June 2025, Gardaí made over 27,000 arrests and filed more than 67,000 criminal charges. Certain crimes such as burglary and insurance fraud are falling due to targeted operations and preventive measures, but the explosion in financial and cyber fraud presents a new and complicated threat to Ireland and its people. See More: An Garda Síochána, Arson, Crime, Fraud, Police
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Six burglary gangs behind nationwide crime sprees
Break-in gangs launch raids from bases in Dublin and Kildare Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland, of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), said the six most prominent burglary gangs were separate to the 22 'top-tier' drugs and firearm organisations the bureau is also investigating. They don't care about dogs, alarms or CCTV – that stuff does not stop them 'The issue with them is some of them will operate across groups as well at a national level,' he said. 'They don't care about dogs, alarms or CCTV – that stuff does not stop them and some of the houses that they burgle will have dogs in them and the highest-spec alarm and CCTV systems – they don't care about it.' The senior detective pointed out that this is in marked contrast to 'opportunistic burglars' who are put off by such security arrangements that are becoming much more common in Irish households, something he welcomes. 'We have seen when there is spikes in burglaries in an area and when we intercept a high-level burglary gang and we take them out of the system, burglaries practically stop for a three-month period in that area,' Det Chief Supt Boland said. The bureau has a specific role in Operation Thor – the nationwide garda operation targeting burglary gangs – which involves 'strategic national oversight and co-ordination', including identifying the gangs that are involved. This involves a lot of analysis and regular conferences with gardaí across the country. Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland. Photo: Collins Det Chief Supt Boland said that there had been a 75pc reduction in domestic burglaries since Operation Thor's introduction 10 years ago. Last year saw an increase however, with break-ins up by 10pc in the 12 months to September 2024, with aggravated burglaries increasing by 15pc. In that time period there were 9,981 reported burglaries, more than 27 every day, according to CSO figures, but the numbers have since reduced again. New provisional crime figures for the first six months of 2025 show that residential burglaries fell by 13pc when compared to the first six months of 2024. This is an average of 14 residential burglaries per day across the 26 counties. 'A lot of analysis happens in relation to Operation Thor, not only the trends that are happening but who are the actual organised crime groups, the inter-regional travelling groups that are engaging in this type of crime,' Det Chief Supt Boland said. We are targeting the right people, the right groups, they are being targeted here 'When those groups are identified, it is our role to ensure that they are targeted with all the resources available to the organisation,' he said pointing out some gangs are 'of such high risk' that the GNDOCB tackle them themselves. 'We are targeting the right people, the right groups, they are being targeted here. We are sharing all our information with our colleagues in the PSNI, in the UK and across the rest of Europe because some of these groups will commit burglaries here and then when the heat comes on them, they will move to locations such as Northern Ireland, and then London in particular.' Det Chief Supt Boland said there had been 'significant detections' recently in this jurisdiction, the UK and Northern Ireland targeting the organised burglary groups. 'The reality is we have deployed the same resources to tackle these burglary gangs as we have deployed to tackle organised crime murder teams. That is how serious we are about tackling domestic burglaries across the country.' He said such robberies had a distressing effect on victims. While Det Chief Supt Boland did not name any of the six main burglary gangs, many are associated with burglary gang boss 'Fat' Andy Connors, who was shot dead outside his Saggart home in 2014 in an unsolved murder. 'Fat' Andy Connors The Sunday World has also learned that in recent weeks a serial criminal aged 41 who is based in Naas, has been embarking on a massive burglary campaign in counties such as Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Cavan. Meanwhile, new provisional crime statistics published today from the first half of this year recorded a 73pc rise in crimes categorised as 'fraud offences'. The number of sexual offences reported to gardaí also increased in the first six months of the year when compared to the same period in 2024, garda statistics show. Reports of rape are up 4pc while sexual assault reports are up 7pc.
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Extra.ie
Average of 14 burglaries taking place across Ireland daily
Provisional crime figures for the opening six months of 2025 have revealed that an average of 14 residential burglaries take place daily across the Republic of Ireland. This figure is down by 13% compared to the first six months of 2024. Six leading burglary gangs have been identified by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), with the groups operating nationwide. Provisional crime figures for the opening six months of 2025 have revealed that an average of 14 residential burglaries take place daily across the Republic of Ireland. Pic: Getty Images Detective Chief Superintendent Séamus Boland says the gangs are based in Dublin and Kildare but target homes and businesses across the country. The Irish Independent report that Det. Supt Boland said: 'They don't care about dogs, alarms or CCTV — that stuff does not stop them and some of the houses that they burgle will have dogs in them and the highest-spec alarm and CCTV systems — they don't care about it.' This is in contrast to smaller-scale burglars who are more put off by a home's security features. This is in contrast to smaller-scale burglaries who are more put off by a homes security features. Pic: Chakrapong Worathat/ EyeEm/Getty Images Operation Thor is the nationwide garda operation targeting burglary gangs with domestic burglaries reduced by 75% since its launch ten years ago. The Detective Superintendent explained that 'a lot of analysis' takes place in regard to the operation in a bid to identify trends and groups. He added that Gardaí were taking home burglaries as seriously as organised crime murder teams. Among the shops targeted is the Asics shop on O'Connell Street, which earlier this year was looted for the third time since it opened in 2020. Pic: Stephen Collins/ Collins Photos Among the shops which have been targeted is the Asics shop on O'Connell Street, which was recently looted for the third time since it opened in 2020. The shop was also among those targeted during the 2023 riots, with owner Paul Gallagher saying in the aftermath that the Gardaí were 'doing a lot.' He said: 'They know who they are, they are bringing them before the courts and the courts are leaving them go. 'There are no consequences for shoplifting, it's a soft touch.'
Sunday World
20-06-2025
- Sunday World
Gardaí arrest two men ‘hiding in wardrobe' following reports of suspicious activity
Two men have been arrested by gardaí in Greystones following reports of suspicious activity in the area on Thursday, June 19. Gardaí immediately responded, discovering two males "hiding in a wardrobe' in a residential property in the Killincarrig area of the town. Gardaí from the Wicklow North Community Engagement area said they arrested the two males (40s) under Operation Thor, having responded to reports of an incident at the residence at approximately 2.30pm. Bray Garda Station. News in 90 Seconds - June 20th The men were found in possession of a bag containing property that has since been identified as belonging to the homeowners, and has been returned. When gardaí arrived to the scene, they searched the residence and discovered both men attempting to evade gardaí. The two men were conveyed to Bray Garda Station and are currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 and will appear before a special sitting of Bray District Court today, Friday June 20.
