Detectives go international in money pursuit

DETECTIVES attempting to smash a multi-million pound IRA cash racket will go international in pursuit of the money trail, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy pledged yesterday.

The statement comes as further details emerged of cash seized over the weekend as part of the money laundering investigation.

Commissioner Conroy insisted that officers were prepared to go wherever it took to shut down the huge operation.

He said: “Prior to the recovery of the monies we have recovered in recent weeks, we did conduct investigations which led us in certain directions.

“It’s a bit too early to go into details on that, but we will be following up in relation to matters overseas.”

Nearly £3 million was seized during garda raids across the Republic last week.

Amid intense speculation that the cash was linked to the £26.5 million heist at the Northern Bank’s Belfast headquarters, which has been blamed on the IRA, forensic experts have been examining the notes to check their origin.

Neither Mr Conroy nor Northern Ireland chief constable Hugh Orde were able to confirm if the seizures matched the cash stolen just before Christmas.

As they signed a new protocol for closer cross-Border police co-operation, the Garda Commissioner insisted: “We will investigate that to its finality.”

Further details emerged yesterday of cash seized over the weekend in the money laundering investigation.

The seizures were made by the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation, in conjunction with local gardaí. In addition to a seizure of £250,000 in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on Sunday, it was confirmed yesterday that a further £15,000 was recovered in the town in a separate operation on Sunday night.

In Dublin, £67,000 was recovered from a middle-aged man in Dunboyne, north Dublin.

In Cork, 13,000 was seized following a haul of £105,000 which was recovered in Ballydaly near the Cork/ Kerry border. In addition, £20,000 was seized near Rathmore, east Kerry.

This brings to £460,000 the amount seized over the weekend.

Samples of the cash will be analysed for fingerprint and DNA evidence by the Garda Technical Bureau and the State Forensic Laboratory.

Samples will also be sent to the PSNI to check whether they come from the Northern Bank robbery.