Gardaí are investigating criminal damage to a CCTV camera in a Limerick housing estate near the home of former mayor John Gilligan.
The incident is alleged to have occurred on Wednesday night, hours afterwards Cllr Gilligan appeared on RTÉ television welcoming the eight-year jail sentences imposed on local drug dealers Brian and Kieran Collopy.
The convicted criminals, described as operating on the “top end of the drugs pyramid” in Limerick, were caught bagging €40,000 worth of heroin for wholesale distribution at an address in St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park last December.
Cllr Gilligan who has lived in nearby Lee Estate, St Mary’s Park, for decades, is well known for his outspoken criticisms of drug dealers.
He recently said Ireland was “sleep walking its way into a drugs epidemic” following the escalation of gangland murders in Dublin.
Gardaí in Limerick have refused to comment on media reports that the attempt to disarm the CCTV cameras by three man allegedly wearing balaclavas was part of an attempted plot to attack Cllr Gilligan.
The Independent Councillor was not available for comment on Friday morning.
In an interview with the Irish Examiner he is reported to have said: "People can make up their own minds on what three men wearing balaclavas were doing near my house before a neighbour alerted me. I have no doubt they were on a sinister and serious mission."
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that an investigation is being carried out into an attempt to damage the camera.
Speaking after the recent wave of gangland murders in Dublin Cllr Gilligan said Ireland is “sleep walking its way into a major drugs epidemic”.
CCTV cameras were installed close to Cllr Gilligan’s home in Lee Esate in St Mary’s Park, once the stronghold of the Collopy criminal gang, as part of the regeneration programme.
A former Limerick mayor, Cllr Gilligan is well-known locally for his public support of victims of gangland violence and for criticising those involved in the drugs trade.
The cameras are owned by Limerick City and County Council.
A spokesperson for the council said the local authority would not be comments on the incident. A Garda spokesperson confirmed that an investigation is being carried out into an attempt to damage a camera.