IRELAND STOLEN COMPUTERS RECOVERED http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0212/1224289634615.html

The Irish Times - Saturday, February 12, 2011

Revenue's 10 stolen laptops recovered

GARDAÍ HAVE recovered 10 laptops that were stolen last month from the headquarters of the Revenue Commissioners.

Acting on a tip-off, gardaí raided an abandoned house in a “ghost estate” in Tyrrelstown, west Dublin, on Sunday. The computers were being stored in the rafters of the house.

They were stolen from the Revenue Commissioner’s offices at Ashtown Gate on the Navan Road in Dublin on January 27th.

The laptops are currently being analysed but a source said they are “relatively satisfied” the criminals were unable to break through the sophisticated encryption system to access the information stored.

No one was at the house when gardaí raided the premises and no arrests were made. The stolen laptops were taken from Revenue’s serious crime section dealing with fraud and tax evasion.

Revenue’s customs officials also work closely with the Garda Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) and investigating officers believe the laptops were deliberately targeted in a bid to disrupt criminal investigations.

Had the laptops not been recovered, it would not have jeopardised investigations into criminal activity at the Revenue, according to another Garda source. “But this is a new development in terms of what criminal gangs are willing to do in terms of taking on the Stare,” added the source. Detectives believe that the criminals had some degree of insider information in order to be able to carry out the break-in and theft.

Three men forced their way in through a fire emergency door at the side of the building at around 7.15pm on January 27th. The offices are patrolled by security guards and monitored by surveillance cameras.

The burglars, who were captured on CCTV but had their faces covered, made their way unnoticed up to the second floor, where they used cutting equipment to remove 10 laptops that had been chained and padlocked to desks.