‘Protection’ gang targets businesses in Galway

A subversive gang operating a protection racket and intimidating business owners in Galway City is being targeted by Gardai.

The  Galway City Tribune can reveal that detectives from Mill Street – with back-up from members of the Special Detective Unit – are involved in an ongoing operation specifically targeting the gang, which has links to criminal elements in Dundalk and elsewhere in the country.

A Garda spokesperson said he could not comment on any specific operation, but that “all subversives in the county are constantly monitored”.

Business owners – particularly pubs and nightclubs – around the city have been approached by the gang which has well-known Republican links.

The gang has issued threats that properties will be damaged unless its members are employed as ‘security’.

The subversives are already being linked to a major robbery carried out in the city in 2013.

A source told this newspaper: “There are six or seven of these guys in Galway. They’re into racketeering, intimidation, running security on doors. They have known Republican associates and connections in Dundalk.

“They’ve already muscled their way onto doors in a number of premises in Galway City. They intimidate people because of their connections,” the source said.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.