Gardaí have seized a fleet of vehicles, valued at up to €600,000, from a south Dublin business as part of a major investigation into a drug dealing gang in the area.
Residential and business addresses were also searched in Dublin and Longford, with evidence uncovered of drug-related money laundering as well as fraud offences.
The Irish Times witnessed a team of gardaí move in on the business early on Thursday morning. Gardaí used car transporters to take the vehicles from the premises, which is situated in an affluent middle-class suburb.
As well as the 29 cars seized, orders have been placed on company accounts, freezing about €200,000 “suspected to be the proceeds of crime”. The Revenue Commissioners has also recently examined the financial dealings of some of those under investigation.
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The Irish Times understands one of the main suspects under investigation previously had links to the Liam Byrne-organised crime group. It was based in Crumlin, Dublin, and ran the Kinahan cartel’s Irish operation.
One significant feature of the criminal investigation now under way is the identification of a suspected “VAT carousel fraud” scam. This involves the abuse of VAT cross-border trading rules in a bid to generate money that is then illegally retained by the criminals involved.
The Garda day of action against the alleged gang on Thursday is the fourth such operation undertaken by the Garda attached to specialist units in stations across south Dublin including Terenure, Crumlin, Sundrive Road and Tallaght.
Last February, 37 searches were carried out in Dublin and Wicklow as part of the same investigation. Cocaine valued at €3.1 million was seized along with €353,000 in cash, eight vehicles valued at €200,000 and some €280,000 frozen in bank accounts. Other assets seized included jewellery, electronic devices, laptops, and smartphones.
Last May, gardaí searched 42 properties, mostly in south Dublin, and seized €263,000, as well as three vehicles valued at €100,000 and a Citroen Dispatch van “containing a specially made concealed compartment in the floor of the van for transporting drugs, cash, firearms”.
On that occasion the deeds of three Spanish properties were also seized along with bank drafts for €40,000, money counting machines, designer watches and €50,000 in designer clothing and footwear.
One man was arrested during that day of action.
In another phase of the investigation last December, three men, aged in their 20s, 30s and 60s, were arrested on suspicion of “drug trafficking, money laundering and drug related intimidation as part of a criminal organisation”.
The investigation is being conducted by gardaí attached to Terenure Divisional Drugs Unit, supported by the Serious Crime units in Terenure, Crumlin and Sundrive Road, and the Tallaght and Sundrive Road Divisional Drugs Units.
