The Walls came tumbling down:
TRAVELLERS PREPARING FOR THE APOCALYPSE
Brothers caught digging up €80,000 in coffee jars in a Dublin field
Bottles of Lucozade and packets of Monster Munch crisps were also found in the hole.
0
51.9k
20 hours ago
A GARDA HELICOPTER captured footage of members of the “Wall organised crime group” digging up almost €80,000 buried in coffee jars in a suburban Dublin field, a court has heard.
Gardaí believe that the cash dug up by brothers Michael (30), Thomas (39) and Patrick (20) Wall using shovels and a mini digger was derived from burglaries.
Bottles of Lucozade and packets of Monster Munch crisps, which Patrick Wall had earlier been captured on CCTV footage buying in a local Apple Green, were also found in the hole.
The court heard the brothers began digging after becoming aware the landowner was carrying out groundworks at the location. They had approached local businesses earlier in the day to inquire about the works and ask that it be stopped.
Michael Wall of Fortunestown Lane, Tallaght and Thomas and Patrick Wall, both of Fortunestown Crescent, Tallaght were initially charged with money laundering offences but guilty pleas to possession of stolen property were accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Detective Garda Kate Gilligan of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau told Judge Orla Crowe the offences took place on August 14, 2020 at a field in Keatings Park, Rathcoole, Co Dublin.
She said the location was beside the N7 motorway close to a large Apple Green petrol station.
The court heard gardaí were in receipt of confidential information that the “Wall organised crime group” were seeking to recover a large amount of cash buried in the field.
An operation was put in place and at 3pm the garda helicopter observed a number of people at the location digging in a specific area. Footage was recorded and the helicopter returned to Baldonnell.
Gardaí, who had known members of the Wall family for a significant time, identified the three men before the court on the footage. The helicopter returned to the scene where it observed a mini digger had arrived, with 5 people in total present and a large hole in the field.
Gardaí entered the field and recovered four jars of own brand Lidl coffee containing cash, loose cash and a fifth smashed jar. Two jars had been placed into a paper Apple Green bag with loose cash and the cash was damp, as if it had just been dug up. The total found was €79,000.
The garda investigation revealed that earlier that day Michael and Thomas had inquired at local businesses about work being carried out on the land and asked that it be desisted. They were told a local businessman had hired builders to take out hedges and carry out groundworks.
A builder carrying out legitimate work for the previous three weeks on the land was approached by a large group of men who asked what he was doing. He observed other men using a tape to measure from the fence to a location in the middle of the field where they started digging.
Det Gda Gilligan said the builder later left work and put the digger away. The other men did not have the owner’s permission to be digging on the field.
The three brothers were arrested and each told gardaí they were building fences for horses.
Thomas Wall has 12 previous convictions, while Michael Wall has one previous conviction and Patrick Wall has no previous convictions.
Judge Crowe adjourned sentencing until 4 March, 2024 to allow reports to be prepared. Pleas in mitigation will be given on that date for all three men by their defence counsel.
Author
Fiona Ferguson
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/cab-chases-notorious-south-dublin-crime-gang-boss-for-more-than-2m/35567359.html
Home Regionals Herald
CAB chases notorious south Dublin crime gang boss for more than €2m
Mon 27 Mar 2017 at 02:30
The Criminal Assets Bureau is seeking a judgement of more than €2m from the alleged leader of one of the country's most prolific burglary gangs.
John Wall (51) from Fortunestown Lane, Tallaght, has been ordered to pay CAB a total €2,014,864, in a judgement the bureau obtained from the veteran criminal last month.
The Herald understands that this judgement relates to cash and assets controlled by Wall and his notorious organised burglary gang that also has many members in Co Kildare.
Earlier this week, the mob was the focus of a major garda operation in Munster and sources say gardai will continue to investigate the crew. The Herald can reveal that Wall's mob is classified as one of 19 serious organised criminal gangs based in the DMR south division.
Stole
Wall has a number of previous convictions and received a jail sentence for his role in an incident in 2006 when he and his associates broke into four houses in separate areas of Killarney, Co Kerry, in just 40 minutes, on the night of Saturday, March 25, that year.
They stole cash, jewellery, clothing and tools while the householders were out.
In a high-speed getaway along the Cork/Kerry border later that night, two garda cars were rammed and the burglars' car sped through Millstreet, Co Cork, with its back wheel blown out and sparks flying.
The burglars were apprehended in Millstreet after their car became immobilised.
Wall moved to the Tallaght area when he was a teenager in the 1970s but within a decade, his activities brought him to the attention of gardai.
Officers have always suspected that his "interest" in horses and antiques was just a front for his criminal activities.
Sources say that senior gardai consider his gang "highly organised" and includes at least 11 main players including three thugs aged between 38 and 45 as well as 'foot-soldiers' some of whom are juveniles.
"The modus operandi of this gang was seen when they were busted in Co Kerry all those years ago. They identify a provincial town, use the motorway network to get to it and then on occasion carry out 12 burglaries in that town before escaping back to Dublin. But not before hiding their loot at a secure location and changing cars," a senior source said last night.
In September, 2014, a car seized by CAB from an associate of Wall was stolen two days later from a storage compound before being recovered by gardai.
Three members of one family charged over €20K jewellery theft from home of woman (78)
The court heard gardai mounted an intelligence-led operation after receiving intelligence relating to a gold-coloured Mercedes.
Martin Wall leaving Tallaght district court
Martin Wall leaving Tallaght district court
Patrick O'Connell
Sun 21 Feb 2021 at 08:55
THREE men appeared in court yesterday charged in connection with the burglary of €20,000 worth of jewellery from the home of a 78-year-old woman.
Edward Wall (49) of Fortunestown Crescent, Tallaght, his brother Martin Wall (42) of Woodbine House, Pollardstown, Co. Kildare and their nephew John Wall (20) of Fortunestown Crescent were each charged with one count of burglary contrary to section 12 of the Theft and Fraud Offences Act.
All three face sentences, if convicted on indictment, of up to 14 years in prison.
Tallaght District Court heard the trio were arrested at 6.25pm on Friday evening at Mackintosh Park, Dun Laoghaire following an intelligence-led garda operation.
Edward Wall leaving Tallaght district court
Edward Wall leaving Tallaght district court
READ MORE
Gardai seize €70,000 of cannabis and arrest man in Mullingar, Co Westmeath
Drunk woman taunted garda about the shooting dead of colleague, court hears
In relation to Edward Wall, evidence was heard from an officer assigned to the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau that he was transferred to Dundrum Garda station following his arrest where he was detained.
At 3.36 pm yesterday, he was charged with the offence of burglary.
He made no reply to the charge and was handed a true copy of the charge sheet.
Gardai said they were objecting to bail under section 2 of the Bail Act and under the O’Callaghan rules.
Objections put forward by gardai included the seriousness of the charge which is punishable on indictment by a sentence of up to 14 years in prison and the evidence gathered by gardai in relation to the offence.
The court heard gardai mounted an intelligence led operation after receiving intelligence relating to a gold-coloured Mercedes.
John Wall leaving Tallaght district court
John Wall leaving Tallaght district court
The court heard it would be alleged that officers were monitoring this vehicle when it stopped at Watson Road in Killiney on Friday evening.
The court heard it will be alleged two men then exited the vehicle and entered a property.
Lights were subsequently observed moving around in the downstairs of the property.
Evidence was heard the men then emerged and got back into the vehicle.
The court heard the vehicle was stopped by gardai and the five occupants arrested.
Gardai said a burglary was confirmed to have occurred at the address the men had entered and jewellery to the value of €20,000 taken.
Gardai said a 78-year-old woman was present at the time.
The court heard Edward Wall was one of the five men arrested.
The court was also informed that following his arrest, Edward Wall told gardai that he had tested positive for Covid 19 on the morning of his arrest.
In seeking bail, defence solicitor Lorraine Stephens said her client would be willing to abide by any conditions set down by the court.
She also noted no jewellery was recovered from the vehicle when it was stopped.
The court was informed that gardai will allege the jewellery was thrown from the vehicle prior to the arrests being.
Bail was refused and Edward Wall was remanded in custody to appear before Cloverhill District Court by video link on February 26th.
An application for legal aid was adjourned after gardai requested that a statement of means be provided to the court.
Martin Wall (42) appeared in court next following a brief break during which a cleaning crew sanitised the court room.
The court heard Martin Wall was arrested after the gold Mercedes vehicle was stopped by gardai at Mackintosh Park.
Evidence was given of arrest, charge and caution.
The court heard Martin Wall charged with the offence of burglary at Dundrum Garda station at 3.33 pm yesterday.
He made no reply.
Again a request for bail was refused after gardai objected to this based on the seriousness of the charge and on the basis of the evidence gathered by gardai.
He was remanded to appear before Cloverhill District Court on February 26.
A request for legal aid was again adjourned to allow for a statement of means to be furnished to the court.
Following a second break in proceedings to sanitise the court room, 20-year-old John Wall appeared in court.
The court heard John Wall is a nephew of the two previous accused and that he was arrested after gardai stopped the gold Mercedes at Mackintosh Park.
Garda charged John Wall with the offence of burglary at Dun Laoghaire garda station at 3.08 pm yesterday.
He made no reply to the charge after caution.
Again gardai objected to bail based on the seriousness of the charge and the evidence gathered by gardai.
In support of his bail application, Wall’s defence solicitor Mr. Ruane said his client was a newly-wed whose wife was pregnant and who needed her husband at home.
Bail was granted in the defendant’s own bond in the sum of €1,000 together with two independent sureties of €500.
He was remanded in custody with consent to bail on a number of conditions including that he obey a curfew of 10 pm to 7 am and sign on daily at a named garda station.
