Gardaí have arrested 13 suspected crime bosses in last year, report says

A second report on the operation of emergency anti-terrorism legislation — Offences Against the State Act 1998 — showed that 39 arrests were conducted in the last 12 months.

A total of 13 suspected crime bosses have been arrested on suspicion of directing a criminal organisation within the last 12 months — a significant jump on previous years.

The arrests are under special ‘gangland’ legislation, introduced in 2009, aimed at combating the threat posed by organised crime gangs. It created offences of directing a criminal organisation, participating in or contributing to that group or committing an offence for a crime gang.