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Gardaí has made what is believed to be the largest organized criminal cash seizure in the history of the state after approximately € 4 million was found.
The seizure took place Wednesday in Co Laois and Co Kerry during a Garda operation targeting a family-based organized crime group involved in drug trafficking.
The gang is led by two Dublin brothers in their 40s, both with large-scale drug trafficking convictions and have served time in prison in Ireland and Spain.
The west Dublin-based group has also been using the car trade to launder money and has been investigated by the Garda’s specialized organized crime units for more than a decade.
During that period, it has grown into one of the largest drug gangs in the state and is now regarded as the Garda and other European police forces as a major player on the international drug scene.
The Garda National Office for Drugs and Organized Crime seized € 4 million in cash during search operations in Co. Kerry and Co. Laois yesterday. The searches targeted an organized criminal group believed to be involved in international drug trafficking. pic.twitter.com/YFcqNv6uBB
– Garda Information (@gardainfo) October 1, 2020
Senior Garda officials believed the Dublin family gang has tried to capitalize on the pressure applied by the Garda to the Irish wing of the Kinahan cartel since the dispute between Kinahan and Hutch began five years ago.
The drug gang from which the money was seized has been the subject of major investigations by the Office of Criminal Assets, and its car business, which sells luxury vehicles, has been raided twice in high-profile operations in recent years. two years. Both large-scale operations were conducted in Dublin, although the group is national in scope with bases in several counties.
The latest operation took place on Wednesday when members of the Garda National Drug and Organized Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) conducted several searches in Laois and Kerry counties.
During the searches in those two places, some 4 million euros in cash were found and three vehicles were also seized. The Garda has said that money would be given a more specific value when everything was counted; a process that was still underway given the magnitude of the cash carry.
In addition to the seizure of cash and the confiscation of vehicles on suspicion of representing the proceeds of crime, a 46-year-old man was also arrested and was being questioned at the Tralee Garda station on suspicion of crimes related to organized crime.
Deputy Commissioner John O’Driscoll, the Garda’s senior officer in charge of the investigation of organized and serious crime, said the target group was important both internationally and nationally.
“An Garda Síochána, through its Organized and Serious Crime (OSC) section, continues to target criminal activity associated with organized crime groups with a particular focus on depriving interested parties of the proceeds of their criminal activity,” he said. .
“The seizure yesterday by the Garda National Office for Drugs and Organized Crime (GNDOCB) of cash, potentially in the amount of € 4 million, bringing the total amount of cash seized by GNDOCB so far to € 8 million of the year is another important achievement, reflecting our determination to dismantle certain organized crime groups. “
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