Poison ‘all clear’ at Quinnsworth

October 1984

The ‘poison scare’ in the Quinnsworth store in Bray is now totally under control.

Extortionists had placed capsules in stores in Wicklow, Arklow, Bray, Galway, Sligo and Dundalk.

According to a spokesman from the group’s headquarters, the scare was in the Main Street branch of Quinnsworth in Bray and not the food store, on Florence Road.

‘ The Main Street branch is a hardware branch and there was just one capsule found behind the Persil in the branch,’ said the spokesman.

The scare cause a drop in customers to the stores, the spokesman said, but everything was now under control.

‘ There was never any danger to the public, as the capsule was sealed and Quinnsworth took every precaution that the public was not in any danger,’ said the spokesman.

The Garda Press Office revealed that the substance found in the capsules planted nationwide did contain ‘ traces of cyanide’.

Managing director of Quinnsworth Dick Reeves said in a statement that the substances had been found placed behind products in specified locations selected and nominated by the extortionists.

‘Locations used and the method of concealment was such as to reduce the risk of danger to the public,’ said Mr Reeves.

It is believed that the capsules were planted by a Loyalist group. A man claiming to represent an unnamed Loyalist group in Northern Ireland contacted RTE’s Belfast offices.

He said that poison had been planted at a number of outlets in the Republic.