PROFESSIONAL BEGGARS TARGET TRALEE

CON ARTIST CRIME GANG DROPPING OFF FAKE BEGGARS IN LUXURY CARS

A PROFESSIONAL beggar who was sent to Tralee to con kind-hearted Christmas shoppers scammed €650 in a single day.

Earlier this month Gardaí in Tralee – who have been monitoring the activity of a professional begging gang for several weeks – arrested one con-man who had been begging in Tralee town centre. A search revealed that the supposedly destitute man was carrying hundreds of euro in cash.

The man – one of several Eastern European men who have been seen posing as disabled homeless people in the town centre over the past few months – admitted that he had raised the €650 in a single day.

It is now known that the men – who are non-confrontational – are definitely not homeless and they are traveling into Tralee from outside Kerry to beg on a professional basis.

Gardaí who have been observing several begging gangs’ activities say that several of the men frequently found begging in Tralee have been seen being dropped off at the town centre and later collected in high-end luxury cars.

It is illegal to beg near ATMs and the entrances to business premises and it is also against the law to beg in a threatening or intimidating manner.

Gardaí say they always try to provide assistance to the homeless and people who are genuinely in difficulty.

However they also have a duty to enforce anti-begging legislation – which is designed to protect the public – and urged anyone with suspicions about the activities of a beggar or beggars to contact them