Two men arrested in connection with burglary gang who used stolen sports car to carry out ten raids on service stations in Munster

Two key gang members, aged in their 20s and 30s, are in garda custody after being arrested this morning.

They are suspected of stealing the vehicle at a location in Co Clare in late September and then using it for their crime spree.

"The modus operandi for this gang is to break into service stations at times like 3am and 4am where they then remove the safe and other valuable items like cigarettes," a senior source said.

"They then drive away from the targeted locations at great speed in the high powered car which has been recovered today by gardaí," the source added.

It is estimated that the crime spree has yielded the gang tens of thousands of euro.

It is unclear if the same mob are responsible for a bizarre incident earlier this month when a huge safe was removed from a post office in Feenagh, Co Limerick, was pulled from the facility but then later dumped on the road with a large amount of cash left in it after efforts to breach it with iron bars failed.

Gardaí announced details of their arrest operation this morning.

"Gardaí have arrested two men in relation to approximately ten incidents of burglary and theft in counties Tipperary, Clare, Cork and Limerick," a spokesman said.

"The burglaries took place at petrol stations, post offices and shops, over the last number of months with cash, cigarettes and safes taken.

"As part of the investigation gardaí arrested two men, aged in their 20s and 30s, this morning, October 21, 2020. They are currently detained at Tipperary Town and Nenagh Garda Stations under the provisions of Section 50 Criminal Justice Act, 2007.

"A car, believed to have been used during the course of the burglaries was also seized and is currently being examined.

"The arrests took place as result of Intelligence led operation coordinated across the Southern Region over the last number of weeks. The operation focused on an organized crime group believed to have been involved in these offences," the garda spokesman explained.

The arrest operation happened on what is the second EU-wide Focus Day on domestic burglary.

While the two arrested gang members are being quizzed about burglaries from commercial premises, their mob are also suspected of carrying out organised home burglaries.

Gardaí say that residential burglary in 2020 has fallen during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a sharp reduction observed in March and April in response to Government restrictions on work, travel, school and business.

From March to August inclusive, there were 43pc fewer residential burglaries reported compared to the same period in 2019, gardaí said in a statement.

Speaking following the launch of the EU-wide Focus Day on Burglary, Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Graham Kavanagh said: "An Garda Síochána is committed in the fight against domestic burglaries and recently launched the annual Winter Phase of Operation Thor on 1st October, to tackle burglaries and associated criminal activity in the winter months."