Those charged were arrested as part of Operation Táirge, which was set up to tackle retail crime.
Operation Táirge first commenced in 2023 with Gardaí nationwide working on reducing organised retail crime by using an intelligence-led approach to identify criminals engaging in retail crime, working with retailers to strengthen their security, identifying and targeting the areas where ORC black markets operate and working with high risk retailers to enhance prevention, investigation and prosecution.
Fifteen children have been arrested and are due in court as part of the investigation suggested to the Youth Diversion Programme.
As described by An Garda Síochána, organised retail crime typically refers to instances where a number of people are working together to target retail outlets to then resell back into the retail market through the black market.
Retail crime can also refer to refund fraud which is usually organised by people who recruit others to steal from retail shops.
Recent reports have stated that organised crime groups and individuals have been targeting retail shopping centres such as Dundrum, Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire and stealing high end goods.
Due to the recent rise in the price of meat, this has become a common item that is stolen by these individuals and is now a major issue for local shops.
In early May, An Garda Síochána have set up a special unit to tackle the problem and identified the offenders through profiling, liaising with other divisions, the examination of CCTV and surveillance.
Gardaí said investigations remain ongoing and a second phase is set to commence in the upcoming weeks.
