Gardaí in Co Donegal have raided property linked to the fugitive waste operator Jim Ferry, and found stolen goods, cannabis plants, a balaclava and close to €80,000.

Ferry has been ordered by the High Court to be arrested and imprisonment for failing to meet the terms of an earlier order, handed down in April, that he clean up an illegal dump he had been operating at Rossbracken near Letterkenny.

Ferry, who has numerous convictions for illegally disposing of waste collected by his companies Ferry’s Refuse Collection Limited and Ferrys Refuse Recycling Limited, failed to remove an estimated 2,000 tons of waste that was stored above ground at Rossbracken, and failed to make moves to address the estimated 28,000 to 36,000 tons of waste buried there.

In July, Mr Justice Max Barrett told Ferry that he was “a disgrace to the people of Donegal”, and faced jail if he did not comply with the April order and threatened him with “a lengthy jail sentence”.

The next day fire broke out in a shed at the Rossbracken site, and fire fighters were impeded entering the site to put out the blaze because piles of concrete blocks had been placed across the entrance.

On August 22nd, the judge ordered Ferry jailed for contempt, saying he would not be released until he had purged the contempt which can only be done by obeying the April order. The judge said he would review matters in October.

Since the order jailing him, gardaí in Letterkenny have been keen to detain Ferry, but it is understood that he has not been seen locally.

Items of interest

Ferry is linked to property in Letterkenny town, Rossbracken and other places in Donegal. It has been learned that while visiting properties connected to him, gardaí found items of interest, although it is not clear whether the items are linked directly to Ferry.

They include several items which gardaí believe were stolen, a balaclava mask that serves to conceal the face, cannabis plants and €80,000 in cash.

Ferry has told the High Court that he is penniless. However, according to irishracing.com, he is owner of a racehorse which ran most recently earlier this month in Galway, and to date has earnings of €28,500.

The horse is called The Informer.