Gardaí on Thursday seized cash, suspected cocaine, high-powered cars, expensive watches, boats, and designer goods, in a massive operation targeting a Limerick crime gang.
Gardaí said the organised crime group (OCG) has been “involved in laundering the proceeds of organised criminality through the second hand motor trade, real estate purchases, property developments and the purchase of high value goods”.
In a nationwide search operation on Thursday morning, a team of 150 gardaí, led by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), and assisted by armed garda units, swooped on 20 locations across Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Dublin and Mayo.
The dawn raids saw gardaí recover €218,000 in cash, 27 vehicles, six Rolex watches, five jet-skis, two rigid inflatable boats, and designer goods including Louis Vuitton bags.
A garda source said CAB were also looking into other potential assets including a high-powered cruiser or small yacht.
A quantity of suspected cocaine, electronic devices and assorted documentation including financial documents was also seized by gardaí.
“Professional offices” were searched however, investigators did not suspect anyone working out these premises had been involved in criminality, said a source. These offices were searched to retrieve documents relating to assets.
A number of car sales premises were also searched as part of the probe.
Gardaí posted images and videos on Garda social media channels of vehicles and jet skis seized in the CAB raids.
A garda press statement read: “A search operation by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) was conducted today (Thursday 30th May 2024) in counties Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Dublin and Mayo, as part of an ongoing CAB investigation into targets linked to a Munster-based organised crime group.”
“This group is involved in laundering the proceeds of organised criminality through the second hand motor trade, real estate purchases, property developments and the purchase of high value goods.”
Gardaí said CAB officers were assisted by gardaí from the Limerick Divisional Detective Unit and Drug Unit and supported by the armed Emergency Response Unit (ERU), the Limerick-based Armed Response Unit (ASU), the Dublin Metropolitan Region East District Detective Unit, Clare Gardaí, the Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit and the Customs Dog Unit.
“The operation involved 150 personnel conducting searches at twenty locations across the country,” Gardaí added.
A man arrested in connection with the seizure of suspected cocaine was being held at a garda station in Limerick.
“Today's operation marks a significant developments in CAB's ongoing proceeds of crime investigation,” Gardaí said.
A source confirmed the gang targeted by CAB were involved in the illegal drugs trade and they said today’s operation was “significant” in the fight against organised crime groups in the country.
