Gangland murders may have ties to car racket
The CAB and Revenue hit dealerships in south-west and west Dublin on Wednesday following 30 co-ordinated raids on businesses, homes and offices.
The law enforcement agencies suspect the businesses were involved in massive tax fraud, involving the underpayment of vehicle registration tax and VAT. But the bureau is also investigating the garages for suspected money laundering on behalf of serious criminal gangs in Dublin.
These same criminal gangs are suspected of carrying out the murders of two Dublin car dealers.
Brian Downes, 40, was shot dead outside his garage on Greenhills Road, Walkinstown, south-west Dublin, along with 24-year-old innocent bystander Edward Ward, on October 5.
Seanie McMahon, 35, was shot dead in his home in Tallaght, west Dublin, on November 14. He ran a garage on Ballymount Road, not far from Mr Downes’s car business.
These two car business were not among the five dealerships targeted in Wednesday’s raids.
Gardaí suspect both men were laundering money for crime gangs and had invested money in property deals here and in Bulgaria on their behalf. The men are also thought to have supplied cars to crime gangs.
Officers suspect the men were killed either for property deals that went bust or after gardaí found drugs in cars supplied by them.
The CAB investigation is expected to continue for some time.
A team of 60 gardaí, backed up by Revenue officers, carried out Wednesday’s searches.
Garages, warehouses, homes and the offices of solicitors and accountants were targeted.
Investigators believe the five car businesses had “certain links” with each other, but that one particular individual was the biggest player in the scam. This individual has already made a tax settlement with the CAB.
A Revenue official was arrested.
He was released without charge on Wednesday. A file on his case will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
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