Brazilian hit team likely to be charged as heat rises in growing Traveller feud
THE Brazilian hit team arrested with a machine gun and sawn-off shotgun in Co Offaly on Wednesday morning travelled to the scene in their own private car from Dublin, the Irish Independent can reveal.
The four men were still being questioned at Portlaoise and Tullamore Garda stations last night with senior sources saying it was “likely” they would be charged with firearms offences today.
The development comes as officers served GIM forms on at least three people who live in a house in the Arden View estate in Tullamore that officers believe was to be targeted in the early hours of Wednesday.
A GIM form is an official warning given to a person who gardaí believe is in imminent danger of being murdered.
Last night senior sources told the Irish Independent that the arrest of the hit team had increased tensions in a spiralling Traveller feud in the midlands town.
“This crowd was hired by one Traveller faction to target another Traveller faction so obviously the targets are aware of what has happened here and are expected to fight back,” a senior source said.
“Investigations to date have established that this Brazilian crew are no criminal masterminds at all. It is not as if they were flown into the country or anything like that.
“These are fellas that previously worked in meat factories and delivery drivers in the State. Some of them have minor criminal convictions such as public order and driving offences.
“It has not yet been determined how they got involved in a Traveller feud in Co Offaly, but the belief is they were hired for the job because of connections linked to their low-level involvement in the drugs trade.
“Analysis of CCTV has shown that one of them even drove his own car all the way from Dublin to Clara before the arrest operation took place, so they were always going to be caught.”
Detectives have not yet established how or where they obtained the sub-machine gun, sawn-off shotgun and ammunition.
Sources say the weapons were loaded and ready for use and that gardaí have given official security advice to at least three people who may have been the target of the planned attack.
Yesterday the Irish Independent revealed that the feud in the Co Offaly town that started over a €70 drugs debt has been spiralling out of control over the past month and has now escalated to the point where innocent children could be murdered.
It is understood that the arrested men are aged between their 20s and 40s and two have addresses in Dublin, another in Co Longford, with the fourth man based in another midlands location.
Some are understood to be illegal immigrants, while others have previously worked in meat factories and fast food outlets.
One of the suspects is understood to have arranged to fly out of Ireland this week.
Heavily armed officers from the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU) swooped on the four Brazilian suspects in a car and van in Clara early on Wednesday morning.
They had been followed by uncover officers from Dublin after local gardaí enlisted the force’s crime and security branch to deploy the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) for the arrest operation.