Four men have appeared before the Special Criminal Court in relation to attempted thefts of ATMs in the border region of the country last year.
The four men were arrested and charged by Gardaí in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday, August 25) for offences contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act, 2001 and Sections 72/73 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006.
The four men – aged 26, 29, 34 and 38 – were charged following ongoing investigations into the attempted theft of an ATM in Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, on April 3, 2019; the attempted theft of an ATM in Virginia, Co. Cavan, on August 14, 2019; and the seizure of cash at an address in Moynalty, Co. Meath, intended to facilitate the commission of organised crime.
The men were detained at Carrickmacross Garda Station. They appeared before the Special Criminal Court earlier today.
The spring and summer months of 2019 saw a spate of ATM robberies and attempted robberies on both sides of the border, with counties Cavan, Monaghan and Meath being affected, among others.
Typically, the culprits would pull the ATM out of a wall with (often stolen) plant machinery, before loading it on to a getaway vehicle.
The series of incidents progressed to the point where Gardaí were forced to issue a warning to plant machinery owners in the border region to make sure their machines were stored securely and not left in an area that was easily accessible.