Gardaí have arrested five youths in Longford in relation to money laundering offences.
Officers from the Longford district, supported by personnel from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), today conducted five searches in the county.
They arrested five people, four men and one woman aged in their late teens and 20s, who are now detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 at Longford, Mullingar and Granard Garda stations.
Those arrested are detained on suspicion of acting as and recruiting money mules, as well as laundering money in bank accounts for a criminal organisation, and can be detained for up to seven days.
Operation SKEIN
The searches and arrests were made as part of the Garda Operation SKEIN, a GNECB investigation into a criminal organisation involved in worldwide invoice redirect frauds and the laundering of the proceeds of these crimes through bank accounts in Ireland.
To date, it is estimated that this organisation has stolen over €15.5 million and laundered near €14 million in Ireland.
Approximately 78 people have now been arrested in connection to this criminal organisation.
A number of convictions have been recorded, a number are before the courts charged with offences, and files are being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and Garda Youth Diversion Bureau in respect of the rest.
Gardaí said more arrests are anticipated and the GNECB continues to work with local districts and international police forces through Eurojust, Europol and Interpol as they target this criminal organisation.
