Seven people have been arrested following an investigation into the international money laundering of criminal assets accumulating to approximately £215 million (€252m).

Eight EU countries took part in the initiative which resulted in an array of illegal items being seized, including drugs, weapons, fake medicines as well as counterfeit notes.

Long-awaited Government plans to update Ireland’s terrorism laws to include a range of offences, such as travelling abroad to join terrorist groups, are still not near to being published, it has emerged.

The fifth European Money Mule Action (EMMA 5) took place between September and November of this year.

The Kinahan drug cartel is a main driver in the surge of cocaine coming into Europe and Ireland’s middle- and high-income earners are “fuelling” the trade here, garda sources have said.

Former assistant garda commissioner Michael O’Sullivan, who is now Director of the Maritime Analysis Operations Centre, has said that a new report into the European drugs market reflects an increase in the use of cocaine which is “fuelling murderous feuds.”

Meanwhile, gardaí are investigating reports that scrap metal yard owners are being threatened by those responsible.

Shane O’Brien, one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives, has been jailed at the Old Bailey for life with a minimum term of 26 years for the “grotesque” murder of 21-year-old Josh Hanson.

The EU and Britain have made commitments to agree arrangements on exchanging security-related data, co-operating on investigations and prosecutions, and efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism.

Irish governments are breaching the constitutional rights of children by failing to introduce, and implement, laws to protect them from online harms, a leading cyber-psychologist has said.

The commitment was issued in May after the terrorist attack last March on two mosques in New Zealand, resulting in the death of 51 people. The atrocity was livestreamed by Brenton Tarrant and went viral.

Ireland is in discussions with an EU judicial body regarding the operation of a new EU register on terrorists.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has warned that the ongoing uncertainty over Brexit is making it "very difficult to plan" future Garda strategies.

Two men have been arrested following searches by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau in the Dublin 8 area.

A man in his 20s who was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a Europe-wide cyber scam and money laundering investigation has been charged.

Gardaí have delivered a “major blow” to a Romanian crime gang after they uncovered a “manufacturing hub” for the production of false passports.

A man has been arrested and three searches carried out in Dublin in connection with a Europe-wide cyber scam and money laundering investigation.

Foreign terrorist fighters have travelled from Ireland to North Africa, the EU police agency says.

Foreign terrorist fighters have travelled from Ireland to North Africa, the EU police agency says.

Rapist Patrick Nevin attacked three women he met on Tinder, but a criminal background check of every user of a dating app would be arduous, writes Joyce Fegan.

Cryptocurrency firms will be subjected to rules to prevent the abuse of digital coins, such as Bitcoin, for money laundering, a global watchdog has said, marking the first worldwide regulatory attempt to constrain the rapidly growing sector.

Cybersecurity experts will undertake a live hack onstage at the upcoming Tech Summit in Cork to demonstrate the vulnerability of phone and computer security.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said An Garda Síochána will “absolutely” help Europol, the EU police agency, in setting up a specialist unit to target the finances of European crime bosses.

Europol, the EU police agency, wants experts from the Criminal Assets Bureau to help set up a specialist unit to target the finances of crime bosses across Europe.

Students have been warned not to allow their bank accounts to be used to transfer money on behalf of criminals as to do so is committing the offence of money laundering.

The practice involves criminals recruiting young people to help launder stolen or illegal money using their bank account.

The crackdown by police, customs and health regulatory authorities took place across 16 countries, including Ireland.

Highly organised Nigerian gangs are earning “extremely high profits” from trafficking children into 12 European countries, including Ireland, for prostitution, according to the EU police agency.

As the Garda hunt for the killer of an elderly Limerick woman last Christmas continues, her inquest was adjourned yesterday.

Criminals on both sides of the border could benefit from the increased difficulty, post-Brexit, of EU and British law enforcement agencies in locating and extraditing them, Britain’s national police body has said.

The largest-ever seizure of illegal or counterfeit pesticides in Europe was achieved recently in Europol’s annual Silver Axe operation.

A dedicated Garda internet unit would allow it to refer greater volumes of takedown requests to companies concerning online terrorist material, according to the EU’s counter-terrorism chief.

For chief executive Matt Moynahan, choosing Cork as the newest location of global cybersecurity firm Forcepoint was strictly a business decision.

There were 11 arrests for terrorist offences in Ireland last year, three of them jihadist suspects and eight republican-related.

Specialist agencies are to have their powers boosted under new anti-money laundering and terrorist financing laws.

Half of Irish businesses were victims of economic crime in the past two years, with cybercrime hitting record levels and doubling global levels.

Just one-tenth of Irish SMEs are insuring themselves against cyber attacks, a report has found — as British phone and electrical goods retailer Dixons Carphone fell victim to a second major security breach in the past three years.

Cybercrime is worth trillions of euro and Cork-based Smarttech247 is at the coalface of the battle against the online underworld. Pádraig Hoare speaks with chief executive Ronan Murphy.

A Garda manhunt is underway after a man sexually assaulted a female student in Limerick city.