Charges due on €800,000 cash hauls

Gardaí have prosecutions “in the pipeline” after almost €800,000 in cash was seized from four major crime gangs since June.

In the latest haul, Garda units swooped on a truck in north Dublin and uncovered €100,000 in cash, concealed in vacuum packs inside the vehicle.

Officers believe the cash was the likely payment for a large drug shipment due to come into the country.

The operation, part of a continuing investigation, was conducted by the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau assisted by the recently-formed Special Crime Task Force.

Sources said the southside gang hit was not part of the Kinahan crime cartel.

The swoop took place at a M50 roundabout, junction 4, in Ballymun at around midnight on Saturday.

A 32-year-old man, described as a “trusted” member of a Tallaght gang, was arrested and questioned under money laundering legislation. He was released subsequently as gardaí prepare a file for the DPP.

Charges in relation to money laundering or under the Proceeds of Crime Act cannot be given over the phone by the DPP and gardaí must submit a file.

A forensic examination has to be conducted on the cash for DNA and fingerprints. The DPP must also be satisfied that the person does not have a reasonable explanation for having the cash.

The Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau works very closely with the Criminal Assets Bureau in terms of examining bank statements and financial records.

They also discuss which agency might bring the prosecution and whether it is a criminal prosecution or a civil proceeding to confiscate the cash. A source said prosecutions “were in the pipeline” in the cases.

The midnight operation brings to four the number of major cash seizures conducted by the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in the last 12 weeks, three of them in the last fortnight.

Sources said the money is used to pay for drugs shipments.

“People buying large quantities don’t do so on tick, they pay up first, in advance, and the delivery comes later,” explained a source.

The previous Sunday, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the task force seized €200,000 in cash from a Crumlin/south inner-city gang. The interception, this time a car, was made in the Clondalkin area.

On August 24, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized €70,000 in cash at a drugs distribution facility in Co Meath.

In the biggest haul this year, the bureau confiscated €400,000 in cash in north Dublin on June 14.