Lithuanians charged over organised crime
Seven Lithuanians today appeared in court charged with a series of offences linked to organised crime.
The six men and one woman – aged from 25 to 45 – were arrested on Saturday afternoon at their six-bedroom rented home at Crockaunadreenagh House, Crockaunadreenagh, Rathcoole, County Dublin.
A woman, her husband and his brother are among the group who appeared at Kilmainham District Court.
Charges included unauthorised use of a motor vehicle, unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle, theft, handling stolen property and assault.
The defendants included Algirdas Kocius, 45, Gintaras Zelvys, 36, his wife Edita Zelviene, 26, his brother Edvardas Zelvys, 34, Liamonas Skladaitis, 25, Arvydas Bartkevicius, 25, and Marijus Gailius, 27, of Old Cabra Road, Dublin 7.
Judge Bridget Reilly granted leave to apply for legal aid following a means test.
No bail applications were made for any of the male defendants, who will appear before Cloverhill District Court on June 6.
Zelviene was refused bail and will appear before Kilmainham District Court on the same day.
Two of the defendants – Zelviene and Skladaitis – have been charged with assaulting garda Declan O’Reilly and student garda Stephn Burn while in custody. Zelviene is also accused of driving a stolen car.
Gailius is also charged with assaulting student garda Stephen Burn, possession of false instrument (driving licence) on May 29 and being a passenger in a stolen car.
Other charges include: Kocius, unauthorised use of a motor car; Edvardas Zelvys, handling stolen property; Bartkevicius, handling stolen property and taking a motor car without lawful authorisation; and Gintaras Zelvys, unauthorised taking of a motor car in Kilcock, driving off from an Esso service station and being a passenger in a stolen car.
When cautioned by gardai, Gintaras Zelvys – who held his wife’s hand in the dock – asked: “Is this because I was driving the stolen car?”
He later said: “I never knew that this car was stolen.”
His co-accused Kocius told gardaí he did not know his vehicle was stolen, replying: “A man left it and said you could use it.”
The arrests over the weekend were the result of a massive garda operation. Gardaí told the court stolen property and cash was recovered at the address.
Detectives are currently investigating a number of ongoing incidents including allegations of kidnapping, hijackings and aggravated burglaries across Dublin, Carlow, Mullingar, Drogheda and Cavan.
