Latest news with #controlledDelivery
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Evan Fitzgerald case: How ‘controlled deliveries' are used in Garda sting operations
The 'controlled delivery' of illicit items – which can include drugs and guns – is used frequently by gardaí, especially when trying to catch people attempting to import drugs into the Republic. While it is rarely spoken of, mainly because gardaí want to keep their trade craft secret, it was aired very publicly this week at an Oireachtas justice committee. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed Evan Fitzgerald, the armed 22-year-old who took his own life in a Carlow shopping centre on the June bank holiday weekend, had been charged with gun crimes after a 'controlled delivery' of firearms last year. On that occasion, gardaí received a tip-off from international policing agency Interpol that unidentified parties in Ireland were active on the darknet trying to buy guns. Gardaí acted on that intelligence, going on to the darknet and offering guns to the suspects. A face-to-face meeting was later arranged, with the guns and money exchanged. Mr Fitzgerald, who did not realise he was dealing with undercover gardaí running a sting operation , was arrested. The guns were two firearms that were in Garda stores and had been decommissioned. READ MORE Mr Fitzgerald was charged with four offences: possession of a machine gun and pistol and two different ammunition types. A search of an address linked to him yielded a variety of ammunition and powers to make explosive devices, resulting in nine other charges. [ Carlow gunman disclosure set to lead to scrutiny of An Garda Síochána Opens in new window ] The case was unusual in that the source of the guns – the person who offered them for sale on the darknet – was actually an undercover detective. Both techniques – controlled deliveries and police officers posing as criminals – are used by international law enforcement. They are also included in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The UN defines organised crime as three or more people working together to commit at least one serious crime punishable by at least four years in jail and from which they derive financial or material gain. A controlled delivery occurs when illegal items are detected – usually in the postal system or in freight – on their way to the person trying to procure them. The authorities take control of the delivery in order to catch the person the items are destined for. In Ireland, this includes undercover gardaí dressing as postal workers, or couriers, to make a delivery and then arrest a suspect. [ Undercover gardaí supplied Carlow gunman with firearms and ammunition, Oireachtas hears Opens in new window ] The UN also deals specifically with policing techniques in which undercover officers effectively insert themselves into a crime in the planning. It says the crime should be in the planning before the police get involved. If a police officer 'originated the idea of the crime and induced the accused to engage in it' this would be used as grounds for defence in some jurisdictions'. A range of Garda sting operations have been reported in Ireland, including gardaí posing as drug users and even as criminals selling drugs or guns. In 2017, Ahmed Ayadi, then aged 25 years and with an address in the Lawn, Boden Park, Rathfarnham, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing a 9mm calibre Glock semi-automatic pistol in suspicious circumstances. Gardaí learned he was involved in the drug trade and that he wanted to buy a gun. Undercover gardaí posed as criminals selling guns. He chose a Glock, paying €450. As he left the transaction location, his car was stopped and he was arrested and charged. He was jailed for five years and also admitted possessing drugs. [ 'The country is going to the dogs': How agitators exploited the Carlow shooting Opens in new window ] In 2013, Operation Trident saw undercover gardaí infiltrate the drug gang run by Dubliner Freddie Thompson, who became a significant figure in the Kinahan cartel's Irish operation, running it for a time. The undercover gardaí were given new identities and even moved into properties in the Crumlin area, buying and selling drugs and being arrested to help them infiltrate the gang – all with close co-operation between the Garda and the Director of Public Prosecutions. However, after some details of the operation appeared in the media, the operation was cancelled and five undercover gardaí were withdrawn, though 29 suspects were arrested on the basis of their work. In 2013 a CIÉ bus driver – Sunny Idah, then aged 36 – was jailed for 13 years. He was trying to recruit people to smuggle cocaine from Brazil to Ireland by swallowing the drugs. Two undercover gardaí posed as would-be couriers and when they recorded Idah – with addresses at Lipton Court, Dublin – offering them €5,000 to take on the task, he was charged.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Carlow gunman disclosure set to lead to scrutiny of An Garda Síochána
It was Drew Harris 's last appearance before the Oireachtas Justice Committee before his retirement. In between well-wishes for his contribution to policing over a long career – including from Sinn Féin's chair Matt Carthy – there was some close questioning and a political edge to it. The most dramatic came from Labour TD Alan Kelly, who disclosed that Evan Fitzgerald, the young man who fired shots in a shopping centre in Carlow before turning his shotgun on himself, had been supplied with guns and ammunition by undercover gardaí . As Pat Leahy and Conor Lally report, it was confirmed by the Commissioner that Fitzgerald (22) was supplied with the guns by gardaí under what is called a 'controlled delivery'. The gardaí then arrested and charged him with possession of firearms and ammunition offences. It was some disclosure. Such are the time limits on the questioning – because there are so many committees in the 34th Dáil there are strict restrictions – Harris didn't actually manage to respond to the question posed by Kelly. READ MORE A little later, however, Michael McDowell came back to the specific question and Harris said that controlled deliveries were frequently used in drugs and firearms cases. The matter has been referred to Fiosrú, the policing ombudsman, but has now a public and political dimension. It's certain that down the line, the Garda will come under political and public scrutiny for the deployment of this tactic. As Kelly later told The Irish Times: 'What he was doing was wrong, but where is the proportionality in the actions of An Garda Síochána? When undercover gardaí met this young man, followed him and knew who they were dealing with, did they not assess the level of threat differently and look at alternative interventions? 'They knew they were not dealing with dissidents or organised crime gangs but a young man with some issues. They have effectively said the same and even agreed to his bail, so obviously they didn't believe he was a huge threat.' Payback time (or more pay time) for former ministers and senior civil servants There was a bit of surprise when it was announced on Tuesday that Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers was holding a media conference in relation to the National Shared Services Office (NSSO), a classic back-office State agency that doesn't exactly draw news headlines. But as Cormac McQuinn reports, errors in handling pension payments have resulted in a situation where Government ministers and as many as 13,000 retired civil servants could either owe money or be owed money because of miscalculations in relation to their pension contributions. 'This cohort of former civil servants were in work-share arrangements and, while not all are necessarily affected, their pensions are to be checked for underpayments,' writes McQuinn. 'There is also an issue in relation to the pensions of 30 retired senior civil servants and one of them could owe as much as €280,000 as a result of NSSO errors.' It is believed most current Government ministers will owe money to the State, though some may be due some money back. The highest overpayment may be in the region of €30,000. Ministerial Pressure Zones There was a time when the political pressure zone only surrounded the Minister for Housing but this week it has extended nationwide, as it were, to the whole of Government. Not only did the Minister James Browne have a testing day trying to explain the changes he has introduced to rent pressure zones (RPZs), the issue dominated Leaders' Questions. There was a snarly back and forth all day between the Government and Opposition parties over the changes, with some very thorny prose being used (see best reads below). Extending the RPZ from the current 111 local election areas to all 166 was simple to explain. It was the future arrangements for tenants – especially existing ones – that came under scrutiny and, by extension, put the Government under the cosh. Browne was explaining all day and living up to the Karl Rove dictum that when you are doing that, you are losing. Under the new classification, a landlord who owns three properties or less is a 'mom and pop' landlord. That became an issue. The distinction between new accommodation coming on stream and existing accommodation also became an issue. The Opposition pounded the Government all day on whether existing tenants in RPZ zones would see changes to the increase limits after six years, like new tenancies that begin from March 2026. 'The rights of existing tenants will not change' became the mantra of all Government people during the day. In other words, RPZ rules would continue for them ad infinitum. However, it did not succeed in convincing. The Smaller the Party the Bigger the Split Wow. We did not see that coming. People Before Profit coming under attack from within for becoming too mainstream. A group of some 30 activists have left the party over concerns it would enter a future Government with Sinn Féin . It's not over the concerns the likes of Simon Harris or Micheál Martin would have. It's because Sinn Féin is essentially an establishment party, they say. The group's best known politician is Dublin City Council member Madeleine Johansson. In a statement, it said a Sinn Féin-led government would 'coalesce with the establishment and leave untouched the real government, the permanent government – the State bureaucracy, army chiefs and head of Guards'. Ronan McGreevy has the full story on this latest split among the micro parties of the far-left . Best reads Miriam Lord has the full welly on the back and forth over the RPZ changes yesterday including some choice name-dropping by the Taoiseach. Ellen Coyne, our newest colleague on the political team, covered the press conference on Gaza on Tuesday, hosted by Senator Frances Black and others. She reports that the Independent Senator said a 'groundbreaking' case against Airbnb will set a precedent for legal action against any Irish companies with links to illegal Israeli settlements. Black said similar cases will continue to be taken until the Government includes services in the upcoming Occupied Territories Bill . Gordon Deegan writes that Michael Healy-Rae's family property company has posted €842,000 in profit over two years. Playbook Dáil Wed, Jun 11th 09.00: Topical Issues 10.00: Private Members' Business (Social Democrats): Motion re Ending the Central Bank's facilitation of the sale of Israel Bonds 12.00: Leaders' Questions. 12.34: Other Members' Questions 17.02: Government Business: Mental Health Bill 2024 – Committee Stage 21.02: Deferred Divisions 21.32: Dáil adjourns Seanad 10.30: Commencement Matters 11.30: Order of Business 13.00: Government Business: Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 – Second Stage 15.30: Private Members' Business: Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022 – Committee Stage 17.30: Seanad adjourns Committees 09.30: Transport Driving Test and NCT Delays The NCT will say it has reduced the waiting time for tests from 27 weeks to 20 weeks and that one of the causes of the delays were a 60 per cent upsurge in driving test applications. 09.45: Health Issues relating to the priorities and concerns in the context of the Mental Health Bill 2024 10.45: Social Protecion Engagement with Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary 12.30: Arts, Media and Communications Committee Matters relating to the termination of the Arts Council Grant Management IT system. Pat Leahy has details of the opening statement , which deeply regrets the decision by Minister for Arts Patrick O'Donovan not to renew the contract of director Maureen Kennelly over the handling of a controversial ICT project. 12.30: Further and Higher Education Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless. 15.30: Finance, Public Expenditure Israeli Bond Programme 15.30: Agriculture Examination of the impacts of the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Act 2023
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Undercover gardaí supplied Carlow gunman with firearms and ammunition, Oireachtas hears
Undercover gardaí supplied guns and ammunition to Carlow man Evan Fitzgerald – who was then charged with possession of the firearms, an Oireachtas committee has heard. While awaiting trial on the firearms charges, Mr Fitzgerald (22), from Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, stole another weapon from a neighbour and fired shots in a Carlow shopping centre before turning that gun on himself . Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was questioned about Mr Fitzgerald's caseby Labour TD Alan Kelly and later by Senator Michael McDowell during his appearance at the justice committee on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Kelly asked the commissioner a number of questions about the Fitzgerald case: 'What was the provenance of the guns that the deceased young man bought off the dark web? Where did they come from? Was this a controlled delivery of guns and ammunition? Did undercover gardaí engage with this young man face to face prior to this delivery of guns and ammunition?' READ MORE The commissioner said he had referred the issue to Fiosrú, the office of the Garda ombudsman. Fiosrú concluded an investigation in less than three weeks and 'have no further action they wish to take', Mr Harris told the committee. He said: 'I would say then that controlled delivery is a very sensitive police methodology. We use it both for organised crime and for terrorist offences.' Mr Kelly went on to ask: 'Are you in a position to say whether gardaí engaged with this individual prior to this controlled delivery that was organised by An Garda Síochána of guns and ammunition to this individual, and are you able to answer about the provenance of the guns?' Mr Harris replied that he was 'not going to speak to the provenance of the firearms as that touches on sensitive methodology and the other matter is still before the courts'. Mr Kelly said he had 'serious concerns' about the situation, while Senator Michael McDowell also expressed his concerns. [ Evan Fitzgerald: Carlow gunman was due in court to face 13 firearms and explosives charges Opens in new window ] In a statement to The Irish Times, Mr Kelly said later: 'What he was doing was wrong, but where is the proportionality in the actions of An Garda Síochána? When undercover gardaí met this young man, followed him and knew who they were dealing with, did they not assess the level of threat differently and look at alternative interventions? They knew they were not dealing with dissidents or organised crime gangs but a young man with some issues. They have effectively said the same and even agreed to his bail, so obviously they didn't believe he was a huge threat.' In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters said Fiosrú, which investigates allegations of wrongdoing and other matters relating to the Garda, examined the nature of the sting operation after a referral was made to it last month. It added that Fiosrú had informed the Garda last week 'it would not be taking any further action on the matter'. Mr Fitzgerald, a former steelyard worker, was on bail at the time of his death, having been charged last March with firearms and explosives offences. A Garda member told a court the young man had a 'fascination' with firearms.
