This article is from page 2 of the 2008-10-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
COMPONENTS of a pipe bomb, a revolver, a round of ammunition and cannabis resin were seized during a major operation involving 30 gardai in Shannon last Thursday evening.
Gardai believe there were plans to assemble a bomb and it would be launched in Limerick, as part of feud-related activity. The items were found during searches of two rented houses in the Drumgeely area of Shannon – one at Slaney Park and the other at Fergus Road.
The revolver was found concealed in a hedge at the back of one of the houses and was, like all the other items taken, sent for technical exam- ination to garda headquarters. The amount of drugs found at the scene was understood to be small.
A 27-year-old Limerick native was arrested at the scene and was taken to Ennis Garda Station for question- ing. Several other people were in the houses at the time of the operation, but no-one else was arrested. The suspect was later released without charge and a file is being prepared for
the Director of Public Prosecutions, who will decide whether charges will be brought.
The searches were carried out as part of a massive garda operation, 1n- vestigating criminal activity in Lim- erick and Shannon. Thirty gardai – from Ennis, Shannon and the re- gional armed support unit – were in- volved in the operation.
“What we found was component parts so there was no danger to any persons.
“We suspect it would be going in to Limerick, when assembled,” said a
Garda spokesman.
The house at Slaney Park was pre- served overnight and further search- es were carried out there on Friday. However, nothing of evidential nature was recovered the following day.
This operation follows several complaints from members of the public in Shannon about activity in a number of rented houses in the town over the past number of weeks.
Gardai have been monitoring the situation and say their investigations into last Thursday’s operation are continuing.