A MAN ARRESTED after gardaí stopped and searched a van on the M1 motorway north of Dublin has been charged and is expected to appear in court in Swords.
He was detained after the vehicle stopped on the hard shoulder of the road to the north of a checkpoint mounted by officers as part of Operation Thor, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“Five bicycles and thirteen laptops, believed to be stolen property, were discovered in the van,” a Garda statement said.
“A search of the foliage on the motorway embankment in the immediate vicinity led to the discovery of another bicycle also believed to be stolen.
The man was detained at Balbriggan Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 and was charged in connection with this investigation. He is due to appear before Swords District Court at a later date.
Six checkpoints were mounted on the motorway in the Balbriggan area between the hours of 2am and 7am. Officers from a number of garda units, including the Armed Response Unit, took part, along with the Revenue and National Transport Authority.
Operation Thor was set up with the aim of tackling Dublin-based burglary gangs who use the country’s motorway system to carry out robberies.
Gardaí arrested a total of eleven people, including nine for drink-driving and one for public order offences.
12 vehicles were also seized for road traffic offences.
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