Police said alleged offences involved calls being made from Northern Ireland to victims aged in their 80s in the central European country.

The arrests were made as part of a coordinated day of action conducted in cooperation with Brazilian Federal Police and Europol.

The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau was part of a joint international operation, also including the FBI and Europol, which successfully targeted assets used by cybercriminals

The Chinese couple, Jixu Wang, 35, and his 34-year-old wife, Ye Wang, are charged with possessing crime proceeds in a digital bank account between September 2023 and February 2024 and facilitating organised crime.

Nine locations were searched and 18 devices have been seized as evidence.

Spanish have gone public with an operation against a drug trafficking gang smuggling cocaine and marihuana into Ireland from Spain which has led to 20 arrests

The platform, known as Ghost, was used to facilitate criminal activity including drug trafficking, money laundering and instances of extreme violence, authorities said.

A west Dublin drugs gang was a significant target of the operation

Anuar Rahui (41) of Malaga in Spain has now appeared before a vacation sitting of Cork District Court in relation to his alleged role in the offence.

Five of the accused were arrested on Tuesday

Ireland was among 14 European countries involved in 'Operation Pandora'

John Francis Morrissey, the high-profile leader of a money-laundering ring, was arrested on Monday