Two men arrested as gardaí seize €1m in cash

James Cox

Two men were arrested as gardaí seized €1 million in cash in an operation targeting organised crime in Dublin on Thursday.

In the course of ongoing intelligence-led investigations targeting serious and organised crime, officers attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), conducted a search of a residence in the Knocklyon area of Dublin 16.

Two men, aged 35 and 44, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of facilitating/enhancing the ability of an organised crime group to commit a serious offence, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

They are currently detained pursuant to the provisions of Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 at a Garda station in the Dublin area.

In the course of this operation, cash in excess of €1 million, along with a money counting machine and financial ledgers were recovered.

Following the operation, Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly, head of serious and organised crime said: "This substantial seizure of cash shows the vast profits being made by Transnational Organised Crime Groups who inflict such damage upon our communities. It should also be clear from this that there is a direct link between personal use drugs consumption and the pernicious activities of such groups."

Assistant Commissioner Kelly added: "We, in An Garda Síochána, are determined to disrupt the drugs networks bringing drugs into our country and to make Ireland a hostile environment for these criminals to operate. Targeting such money laundering operations is a key strategy for our organisation, as this removes cash that would otherwise be reinvested by such groups into further criminal activity, and it strikes at the heart of the criminal business mode. I commend the dedication and professionalism of all the Gardaí involved in this most recent operation."

Gardaí said investigations are ongoing.