Investigation after man escapes from Garda custody in Drogheda

Search under way for suspect, believed to be connected to feud, who escaped from Garda station on Thursday evening

The man was being questioned in relation to money laundering and other offences, a Garda source said. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
The man was being questioned in relation to money laundering and other offences, a Garda source said. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times

An investigation is under way after a man who was being questioned in connection with a number of offences in Drogheda, Co Louth, was able to escape from Garda custody.

The man had been arrested on Thursday and was being questioned by gardaí in Drogheda Garda Station, however later that evening he was able to escape from the Garda station.

It is believed the suspect was alleged to have been connected to one faction involved in a major feud in Drogheda, which broke out in 2018. The man was being questioned in relation to money laundering and other offences, one Garda source said.

At some point the individual was permitted to have a break, possibly to smoke a cigarette according to a report in the Irish Independent, after which it appears he was able to flee from the Garda station, the source said.

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In a statement, Garda Headquarters said gardaí were “investigating the escape from Garda custody of a male on Thursday, 14th December 2023 from a Garda station in the Garda Northwest region”. The statement added that the Garda investigation was “ongoing at this time”.

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Jack Power

Jack Power

Jack Power is acting Europe Correspondent of The Irish Times