Man arrested at Dublin Airport as part of probe into €22m EU-wide online fraud

The man was arrested in Romania on foot of a European Arrest Warrant earlier this month and brought into Dublin Airport this evening.

A garda spokesperson said investigations are ongoing. File Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Gardaí have arrested a man at Dublin Airport believed to be involved in a gang which has stolen more than €22m from victims across Europe through online fraud.

Of that total, €6.8m is estimated to have been laundered through bank accounts in Ireland between 2017 and 2020.

The man, who is aged in his 20s, was arrested in Romania on foot of a European Arrest Warrant earlier this month and brought into Dublin Airport this evening.

He has since been charged to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) at 10.30am on Saturday, January 29. 

This arrest was made as part of Operation OMENA - an intelligence-led Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) investigation into a criminal organisation involved in fraudulent selling on second-hand websites across Europe, and the subsequent laundering of the proceeds of these crimes through a network of bank accounts opened by using false Identities and money mules.

A garda spokesperson said investigations are ongoing.