Almost 20 Irish crime gangs identified as threats to EU security 

It is thought the Irish figure represents a significant proportion of the overall organised crime groups here and that around threequarters of them operate in the drugs trade. Picture: Leah Farrell

There are just under 20 Irish gangs among 820 criminal networks identified in a landmark European Union report as posing the greatest threat to the internal security of the bloc.

In what is the first assessment of its type, the EU police agency, Europol, gathered and analysed information provided by each of the 27 member states, including Ireland.

While the report did not provide a breakdown by member states, the Irish Examiner understands just short of 20 Irish organised crime groups are included in the 821 “most threatening” criminal networks.

It is thought the Irish figure represents a significant proportion of the overall organised crime groups here and that around three quarters of them operate in the drugs trade.

The Europol report said that, in general, the 821 networks are earning profits of between several million to tens of million of euro per year.

“Some criminal networks are even thought to generate hundreds of millions in illicit funds, with a handful reaching up to a billion euro,” it said.

The report said that half of the networks are involved in drug trafficking, either solely or in part, with other major crime types including fraud, organised property crime and migrant smuggling.

Europol said this unique “mapping exercise” sought to establish for the first time the “most threatening criminal networks” active in the EU.

It is understood the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service provided the figures for Ireland.

At the launch, Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle said the analysis will help police tackle these gangs and "take them down".

She said most of the network leaders live in either the main country of their criminal activity or their home country.

A small percentage live outside the EU, mainly to escape law enforcement attention, where they continue to control and co-ordinate their networks “from places like United Arab Emirates, Turkey and South America”.

The leadership of Ireland’s largest drug network, the Kinahan crime cartel, continues to live in the UAE.

Irish prospects of securing extradition of Kinahan leaders may have received a boost after Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt told the launch that co-operation between his country and the UAE is “starting to accelerate”.

He said two crime bosses were recently extradited to Belgium, one at the end of last year and a second only last week. He said European countries “must exert much more pressure” as a diplomatic block on the UAE and other states.