Chop shop in Northern Ireland operated by criminals from the Republic

An article by Robin Schiller in the Irish Independent today tells us that in the 12 months to March this year, there were 4,066 car thefts and related offences recorded in Dublin.

Yet the most recent Garda figures show the unauthorised taking of vehicles has dropped by around three per cent in the past year.

The interesting article reports that a cross-border gang is stealing cars to order worth €500,000 a month.

The article points to two seasoned criminals as the main players in this operation – a north Dublin car thief and an and a violent criminal originally from the Dundalk area of County Louth.

The article also states that this individual has also been arrested as part of investigations into “chop shops” in the past.

It is understood that both men are currently based in Northern Ireland.

The article revealed that Gardaí are investigating a number of recent crimes in Dublin which they believe were carried out by the gang which operates a chop shop for vehicle parts in Northern Ireland.

The article also tells us the gang is now believed to be focusing its attention on high-end cars in Dublin.

The gang is being investigated for a number of car thefts in the border area last month, including the theft of two 4x4s in Cavan. The same gang is suspected of stealing three similar vehicles in Co Louth and a 4×4 in Kingscourt in Cavan earlier this year.

The Irish Independent previously revealed how the gang had been stealing cars in the Republic before moving them across the border to break them down and sell the spare parts.

Gardaí have been liaising with the PSNI as part of their investigations into the gang.