A SERIAL burglar is in custody after gardai recovered stolen jewellery worth more than €100,000, we can reveal.
The suspect was arrested within an hour of a retail premises in Dublin city centre being looted overnight.
Gardai recovered €100K of stolen jewellery[/caption]
The Irish Sun has learned that he has over 100 convictions, including for theft and assault.
He is well-known to gardai in the capital for petty crime and had only been released from prison in recent years.
The burglary happened at around 2.45am on Wednesday on Clarendon Street, Dublin 2 but by the time the gardai arrived, the suspect had fled.
But upon reviewing the CCTV, gardai were able to circulate a description on radio to other members on duty in the area.
And within 60 minutes, the thug was nabbed near St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 by officers on dedicated high-visibility patrol.
The suspect, aged in his early 40s, was taken into custody while the stolen jewellery worth over €100,000 was recovered nearby.
Assistant Commissioner for Dublin Paul Cleary said: “This arrest and the recovery of jewellery taken demonstrates the professionalism and commitment of gardai working in Dublin City Centre on high-visibility patrol.”
He added: “Public safety is paramount, and so too is helping to protect city centre businesses and their staff from theft and anti-social crime.
“The swift and co-ordinated response from Gardaí overnight demonstrates that we are serious about tackling crime in Dublin, and we are yielding some positive outcomes.
“Our hard work to keep people safe only continues, and we hope that people feel reassured by this.”
A garda spokeswoman said: “Gardai preserved a site next to where the male was arrested for the purpose of conducting a search.
“The jewellery stolen in this incident and now recovered by Gardaí is estimated to be to the value of more than €100,000.
“The site remains preserved awaiting forensic examination.
“Investigations are ongoing.”
It is the second such huge recovery of jewellery by gardai from Pearse Street in recent months.
They recovered €50,000 of stolen jewellery after another shop was burgled overnight during April.
