Five people remain in custody today after gardaí seized over 17kgs of explosives in Galway over the weekend
Gardaí from the Galway West Division and National Support Units swooped on Saturday to recover the 17.5kgs of commercial explosives in the Oranmore area.
The operation was part of the ongoing fight against organised crime.
Gardaí discovered a quantity of explosives in a car at around 2pm on Saturday and later found more explosives at the rear of a house.
Five people (four men and one woman ) were arrested immediately after the find and are currently being held as detectives continue their investigations.
The first three arrests were made in Oranmore followed by a further two arrests in Headford.
The suspects are aged between 25 and 33. At the time of going to print they were in garda custody in Mill Street, Gort and Loughrea, and were being held under under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939.
Gardaí have been reluctant to release any further information but have said they are treating the seizure as significant.
Local Oranmore Councillor Jim Cuddy witnessed a number of the arrests in the Rinville area yesterday. He said, “I was just after driving past Kelly’s Cross on the way to Rinville and I saw a number of special squad gardaí and two people being taken away in handcuffs.
“An incident like this would, of course, be very unusual to see in Oranmore and would be certainly alien to the area. I would say the people in the local area are shocked.”
Rinville is one of the most prestigious and expensive places to buy a home in Galway. Located approximately six miles from Galway city, the area is home to the world class Galway Bay Golf and Country Club as well as the Marine Institute HQ.
