More than €1m seized by gardaí during operation in Dublin

The €1m in cash that was seized by Gardaí in Dublin

Gardaí in Dublin have seized more than €1m as part of an ongoing intelligence operation targeting serious and organised cime.

Officers attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) searched a home in the Knocklyon area of Dublin 16 on Thursday in the capital.

Two men, aged 35 and 44 respectively, were arrested on suspicion of "facilitating/enhancing the ability of an organised crime group to commit a serious offence".

In the course of this operation, cash in excess of €1m, along with a money counting machine and financial ledgers were recovered.

Following the operation Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly, Head of Serious & Organised Crime said: "This substantial seizure of cash shows the vast profits being made by Transnational Organised Crime Groups who inflict such damage upon our communities.

 It should also be clear from this that there is a direct link between personal use drugs consumption and the pernicious activities of such groups. 

"We, in An Garda Síochána, are determined to disrupt the drugs networks bringing drugs into our country and to make Ireland a hostile environment for these criminals to operate. 

"Targeting such money laundering operations is a key strategy for our organisation, as this removes cash that would otherwise be reinvested by such groups into further criminal activity, and it strikes at the heart of the criminal business mode. I commend the dedication and professionalism of all the Gardaí involved in this most recent operation”.

Mr Kelly said that investigations are ongoing.