‘Mr Big’ of Munster sex industry arrested in dawn swoop
The middle-aged man, dubbed “Mr Big”, is believed to run a number of brothels and massage parlours throughout the province, the majority of which are in Cork.
He was arrested in a dawn swoop at his home in a north Cork village by CAB officers and taken to the Bridewell Garda Station in Cork city.
A senior CAB source said the arrest followed on from Operation Bolder — a 100-garda raid on 18 premises in Cork city and suburbs, which took place on November 20, 2006.
During the raids gardaí seized a substantial amount of cash, DVDs, video tapes and a significant number of documents that forensic accountants are still trawling through.
Last autumn, CAB slapped a bill of close to €4 million for tax liabilities and penalties on the man. He is believed to own a number of premises in Ireland and a holiday home in the US.
The man was being detained yesterday under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and was being questioned about his involvement in the organisation of prostitution.
This is the second time he has been arrested as part of the investigation.
Last April, detectives based at Anglesea Street Garda Station arrested six people, including “Mr Big”, during follow-up raids in the city and county. Three men and three women, ranging in age from their early 20s to mid-50s, were later released without charge after being questioned for a number of hours at Anglesea Street and Togher Garda Stations.
Gardaí subsequently sent a file to the DPP and are awaiting his direction on whether they can proceed with a prosecution,
It is estimated that tens of millions of euro are being made from the proceeds of prostitution in Cork every year.
Clients can be charged anything from €150 for half an hour.
The trade is so lucrative that turf wars have often broken out in the city, especially between locally based prostitutes and women who fly in from Britain and book into local hotels.
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