A man in his 40s who gardaí believe has been running a significant drug dealing operation in the mid-west for years was arrested on Tuesday during a Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) raid in Co Limerick.
Officers from Cab carried out six raids in the county looking for documentation and assets to seize as part of an investigation into the man and the gang he worked with.
The suspect was found at one of the properties searched and was allegedly in possession of cocaine with an estimated value of €20,000.
The suspect, who is a significant player on the Limerick drugs scene, is also linked to biker gangs in the Munster area.
The raids came at the same time as searches were carried out on a premises owned by a Dublin biker club. The clubs in Dublin and Limerick are not related and Garda sources said there was no connection between the two searches on the same day targeting members of the Irish biker scene.
Dealings
Five of the searches in Limerick were at residential addresses and one was at a professional premises. Documents related to property and other financial dealings were being sought by gardaí.
Cab officers also seized a number of cars, including a 151 Audi A6, a 151 VW vehicle and a 131 Range Rover Sport. A Harley Davidson motorbike was also seized.
The vehicles were seized on suspicion they were the proceeds of crime. The arrested man will be required to prove the purchase of the vehicles was funded by legitimate means before they can be returned.
A large volume of documents were also seized.
These related to the ownership of assets. Other financial statements were also taken away for examination along with mobile phones and laptop computer.
Apparent evidence of drug dealing, including the cocaine seized, a weighing scales and a tick list was also uncovered.
A drug-related tick list often itemises drugs consignments due for distribution or sums of money owed for drugs.
Confiscate
The Cab inquiry is seeking to identify and confiscate assets accrued by members of a Limerick-based drugs gang, of which the man detained on Tuesday is a leading member.
The suspect was questioned under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act at Henry Street Garda station. He was later released without charge and a file on the matter will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Cab has increased its operations in recent years, securing warrants before co-ordinated searches take place with a view to seizing financial records.
These are then analysed by officers from Cab in a bid to ground assets confiscation proceedings in the High Court, which can grant orders enabling the Garda confiscate and then sell criminals' assets.
Because the Cab’s raids are focused on trying to seize assets, the suspects being targeted are rarely arrested during the searches.
