OFFICERS attached to the Criminal Assets Bureau will begin forensically going through documentation seized in Cork properties today to establish the assets of a suspected Cork crime gang.

Mobile phones will be analysed, with text messages and phone traffic examined to help investigators in tracing the assets of the gang. Computers and other electronic storage equipment will also be forensically examined.

Today's raids on seven homes, three professional premises linked to solicitors and accountants, and a plot of land is the first phase of efforts by the CAB to seize any assets which are proven to be the proceeds of crime.

Ten vehicles and four Rolex watches, and €31,500 in cash were also seized in today's operation.

The gang at the centre of the proceedings are being targeted under Operation Thor, set up to tackle organised crime.

They are suspected of pressurising elderly people to carry out home improvements at high costs. The gang is also being investigated in relation to extortion, burglaries, drugs offences and fraud.

Gardaí said one of the houses was searched under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, while another was searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977/84.

The operation was carried out by CAB with gardaí from the Cork City division, the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the Southern Region Armed Support Unit, the Garda Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit, the Garda Mounted Unit, the Garda Dog, and Revenue Customs Dog Units.

The Garda spokesman said: “This organised crime gang use various paving, gardening, and landscaping businesses to target elderly and vulnerable persons to deceive them of money.

“They use intimidation to instil fear into their victims and charge exorbitant rates for substandard work.

“They are suspected of extorting large sums of cash from elderly and vulnerable persons for unnecessary work and engage in theft and burglary in the areas where they carry out work.”