News from Ireland - news from around the 32 counties

Last weeks operation in which 27 men appeared before the local courts after they were arrested by undercover female gardai as part of a major new crackdown on prostitution and sex trafficking.

Outside of Dublin Limerick has recorded the highest number of detections of prostitution and brothel keeping in Ireland.
(Source: Limerick Leader)

Longford

Around €3,000 worth of cannabis herb was recovered by drugs officers in north Longford last Tuesday following a planned raid on a house in Granard.

A man in his early 20s was arrested at the scene and brought to Longford Garda Station for questioning.

He has since been released without charge as gardai now begin to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

It’s believed the man, who is originally from the Granard area but presently residing in Longford, had been using the house as a means of hoarding the drug in recent weeks.

When officers from the Roscommon based divisional drugs unit and Granard Gardai swooped on Tuesday afternoon, they found the man inside a shed with a large quantity of cannabis herb.

According to garda sources, the suspect had been under the surveillance of detectives for several weeks and had only recently been released from prison.

“He was arrested in Longford for a similar thing last month and is someone who is known to us,” said a spokesperson.

Gardai must now await a response from the DPP before learning whether any charges can be brought against the man.
(Source: Longford Leader)

Louth

The sister of Irene White, who was brutally stabbed to death at her home in Dundalk in 2005, has made a fresh appeal for information regarding her murder.

Anne Delcassian is making the appeal to coincide with Christmas, and she is hoping in the intervening years someone with information may be better placed to come forward.

As it stands the Garda ‘cold case’ team, known as the Serious Crime Review Team (SCRT) are continuing to investigate her murder, while the reward for information regarding the case standing at €45,000.

Despite the best efforts of Anne, who has lead the campaign to find her sister’s killer, no one has yet to be prosecuted for the savage attack. Irene was murdered in a frenzied attack in her kitchen on 6 April, 2005.

“My sister’s murder is still very much in people’s mind. It remains the most brutal murder of a woman in history of the State,” Anne told the Dundalk Democrat last week. “My sister’s killer is still out there, and there are people out there who have information who just need the courage to come forward.

“The cold case team believe that time can help to unlock cases such as these. There are people out who are living with the guilt of this crime.”

Immediately after the attack that claimed the life of Irene, a man was seen running from the scene and getting into a car which sped off, notably avoiding any CCTV camera’s in Dundalk.

“This was cold and calculated murder. These people had been threatening to kill my sister for some time before her death. She writes about it in her diary and is truly chilling. These people would have stalked her for weeks preceeding her death and she knew she was going to be killed.
“Irene was a wonderful mother and a very moral woman, and I believe it is because of this that she was murdered. She knew something about her killer that they didn’t want exposed.

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Nster.com