Landcruiser stolen from business

Gardaí are investigating the theft of a Toyota Landcruiser from a local business premises at the weekend.

The ‘161’ registered five-seater jeep was taken on Friday night last, Friday, February 24, between the hours of 8-8:30pm.

It was last seen travelling towards the roundabout on the Dublin Road, and gardaí in Cavan have asking the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle, including motorists with dash cams to make contact.

“If you can help in any way please contact Cavan Gardai on 049 4368800,” said a post shared on Cavan-Monaghan garda division social media.

It comes as gardaí warned motorists of a rise in car thefts, specifically second-hand imported models from outside the European market.

In 2022, there were more than 4,000 vehicles reported stolen and the issue continues to show a significant increase year-on-year, with a 52% increase on 2021 and a 17% increase on 2019.

On RTÉ’s Crimecall on Monday this week gardaí reiterated their appeal, specifically mentioning an increase in the number of thefts of jeep type vehicles where trade value on high-powered four-wheel drives has shot up recently.

It follows a similar trend that appeared in 2018 when more than a dozen Landcruiser were stolen from rural farms across the country, including close to half a dozen within a near 10 kilometre radius on the Cavan-Meath border.

A Toyota Landcruiser was stolen from a house on the outskirts of Kingscourt in 2019, and another in April last year from Drumhowan, between Ballybay and Castleblayney.

Reports circulating at the time suggested that a criminal gang with cross-border connections was involved in the thefts.