Gardaí and the PSNI have joined forces in a new cross-border operation against cattle rustlers who have close links to IRA fuel smugglers, according to a report in yesterday’s Sunday Independent.
PSNI officers and officials from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture raided an illegal abattoir near the village of Camlough, south Armagh, last Monday and removed machinery used to butcher stolen cattle. It is believed a truckload of offal dumped in the Ravensdale area north of Dundalk in January was from this plant. Toxic sludge from diesel “washing” was found mixed with the offal.
Some 900 cattle have been rustled north and south in the past three years, worth an estimated €1.7m. Sheep rustling is also on the rise with 200 incidents reported last year alone.
Gardai believe the trade is centred on south Armagh and is controlled by IRA figures, including a senior Provo who was arrested and questioned over the murder of 21-year-old Paul Quinn in north Monaghan in October 2007. Quinn was murdered by a 12-strong gang after he had a confrontation with a local IRA leader.
A senior garda source said both forces are taking the issue very seriously because of the potential damage it could cause to the island’s beef industry over traceability standards.
The sources said the illegal meat is being sold by unscrupulous butchers and by door-to-door delivery in the border area.
Source: Illegal abattoir linked to Provo fuel smugglers (Sunday Independent)
