Police confirm Derry raids linked to money laundering

POLICE in the North have confirmed raids carried out in Derry are connected to the ongoing Cork money laundering probe.

Two houses in the north west were raided on Thursday night following the arrest of two Derrymen the previous day.

The arrival of the police in the Waterside district of the city attracted a crowd and some stones were thrown.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland refused to officially state whether the raids were linked to the arrests in Cork and Dublin.

However, a spokesperson said they did happen in cooperation with the gardaí.

The searches took place around 10pm on Thursday.

The houses raided are in the mainly nationalist Top of the Hill area of the city.

Two of the seven people arrested on Wednesday and Thursday were from Derry.

The pair were picked up at Heuston Station in Dublin, along with a third man, from Cork.

Investigations into alleged attempts to launder the money stolen in the Northern Bank raid are likely to continue for many months.

The Criminal Assets Bureau will have a key role. Its members will trawl through all the companies linked to those arrested in operations this week.