GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the theft of more than €200,000 from Allied Irish Bank in a robbery involving hostage-taking have arrested three men and recovered €30,000.
Two of the suspects were arrested when gardaí stopped a car near an apartment block off River Road, Finglas, west Dublin, just before 11pm on Wednesday.
A search of the vehicle yielded about €30,000 in cash. Gardaí believe it is part of the proceeds of the robbery of AIB’s Crumlin Cross branch in southwest Dublin on Tuesday.
The two arrested men were under surveillance when gardaí moved in as the money was being brought in the men’s car to another location.
The operation involved gardaí from Tallaght, where the investigation is based, along with members of the organised crime unit. The emergency response unit was also called in as back-up.
The arrested men, aged 23 and 38, were taken to Finglas Garda station where they are being questioned under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.
Gardaí carried out a number of follow-up searches in Ballybough in Dublin’s north inner city, Thomas St in the south inner city and in Finglas.
During those searches they arrested a 70-year-old man. He is being detained at Cabra Garda station under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.
He is suspected of helping to hide some of the proceeds of the robbery on behalf of one of those involved in the raid.
The other two men are being questioned about being involved in the raid and trying to hide the proceeds.
All three can be held for up to seven days without charge.
The robbery under investigation began in the early hours of Tuesday when gang members broke into a rented house in Kiltipper, Tallaght, west Dublin, where an AIB bank worker and his male housemate live.
The housemate was taken away by the three-man gang in a car just before 3.30am.
At least two of the gang were armed with handguns,
The 21-year-old bank worker was given a phone by the gang and told to go to work as normal at the AIB branch in Crumlin Cross on Tuesday morning.
He was contacted again just before noon and told to drop off a bag of cash, containing €210,000, at a location close to the Red Cow roundabout in west Dublin.
His housemate was then freed in Portmarnock, north Dublin, at 1.30pm and contacted gardaí.
Security protocols set down by gardaí for raids involving hostage-taking were not followed.
Banks are supposed to contact gardaí to raise the alarm before a bank worker is allowed to leave a branch with ransom money.
This allows gardaí to put in place a rapid response surveillance operation with a view to tracking gang members while robberies are still in progress.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern is awaiting a report from gardaí as to how the junior member of AIB staff got access to such a large sum and was allowed leave the Crumlin Cross branch where he worked without gardaí being informed.