Seven men are due to appear before the courts in Dublin this morning to face charges in relation to the attempted robbery of money from a cash-in-transit vehicle last Friday in Co Kildare.
The seven are set to face charges relating to their alleged conspiracy to rob cash from the unmarked Chubb vehicle. Further charges may follow in relation to an imitation firearm found at the scene.
It now appears that the money being carried by the vehicle was considerably lower than the €2 million figure widely reported in the media over the weekend.
It is understood the vehicle started its delivery rounds to ATM machines last Friday morning carrying up to €1.3 million in cash.
However, by the time the gang moved in, the crew of the unmarked Chubb jeep had already made one cash delivery.
The two-man crew had also taken more money from the vehicle and had brought it to ATM machines in Tesco, Celbridge, when the gang targeted the unattended jeep. Garda sources said the vehicle contained just under €1 million when the robbery was foiled. Six of the gang followed the unmarked Chubb vehicle in six vehicles from Chubb's cash depot in Sandyford, south Dublin, until it reached Tesco in Celbridge.
However, they were unaware that gardaí had received intelligence about their plans and had been monitoring them for almost two months.
A convoy of covert Garda surveillance vehicles followed the gang's six cars as they tailed the jeep to Celbridge.
The seventh man arrested at Celbridge was a member of the two-man crew of the Chubb vehicle.
It is alleged he worked with the other six in the planning of the foiled robbery.
Two of the men due to appear before Kilmainham District Court this morning were arrested in the car park of the supermarket at around 10am after they got out of their stolen vehicles.
The two men were walking towards the unmarked jeep, one carrying cutting equipment, when they were ordered on to the ground by armed gardaí.
Their four accomplices were arrested in the vicinity of the supermarket, with the Chubb worker arrested at the scene .
Of the six who followed the jeep to Celbridge, three used stolen vehicles.
The other three used their own vehicles.
The three who used their own vehicles are regarded as being among the most wanted gangland criminals in Ireland.
Two are brothers from Finglas, Dublin, who are chief suspects in a series of armed robberies on cash in transit vehicles in 2004 and 2005.
The other man is regarded as a significant drug dealer who has assumed control of the drugs business once run by former associate Martin 'Marlo' Hyland, who was shot dead by his own gang in Finglas 12 months ago.
Gardaí believe the three key players used their own vehicles in an attempt to create an alibi, in the event of arrest, that they were shopping in Celbridge when the raiders struck and had nothing to do with the robbery.
However, senior Garda sources who spoke to The Irish Timessaid the investigation team had gathered considerable evidence in relation to the alleged conspiracy to rob even before the robbery attempt was foiled on Friday.
