Gangland drugs make up 40% of €210m worth of drug seizures in 2023

The Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit also identified 53 people as potential victims of human trafficking in 2023 – a 26% rise on 2022

The operations involving Garda National Drug and Organised Crime Bureau reached a climax in September 2023 with the dramatic military-garda intervention off the Cork coast targeting the MV Matthew cargo vessel, in which 2.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized, the largest in the State’s history. File picture: Niall Carson/PA

More than €210m worth of drugs were seized by the Garda gangland unit in 2023, accounting for around 40% of the total value of drugs seized by them since 2015, new figures show.

The Garda Annual Report 2023 said that 192 people were arrested by the Garda National Drug and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) for various organised crime-related offences, compared to 173 in 2022. These crimes include drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offences.

In addition, €3.74m in cash was forfeited to the State following court prosecutions by DOCB, compared to just over €2m in 2022. But more cash was seized in operations during 2022 than in 2023 - €3.8m and €1.64m respectively.

The operations involving DOCB reached a climax in September 2023 with the dramatic military-garda intervention off the Cork coast targeting the MV Matthew cargo vessel, in which 2.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized, the largest in the State’s history.

The operation, which also involved the Customs Service, saw the Defence Forces’ Special Operations Forces, the Army Ranger Wing, dramatically board the vessel and secure the ship.

The Garda report, just published, said that in other areas of organised crime 53 people were identified by gardaí as potential victims of human trafficking in 2023 – a 26% rise on 2022.

Key operations by the Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit, part of the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB), in 2023 included:

• Eleven charges made under Operation Avaricious relating to labour exploitation of Latvian nationals;
• Searches and seizures, in co-operation with the Romanian authorities, carried out in Ireland and Romania under Operation Ruhr, targeting human trafficking from Romania into Ireland and the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation;
• A key female suspect was arrested as part of an investigation, Operation Creativity, conducted by the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit, also part of GNPSB, into the activities of a Romanian organised crime group;
• A male was arrested as part of Operation Stockpot, which is targeting a crime gang involved in organised prostitution, brothel keeping and money laundering in the greater Dublin area 

Separately, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) set up Operation Mantel after €4m in funds were lost from four injured parties across different jurisdictions.

The bureau’s Money Laundering Investigation Unit discovered that €1.42m was being laundered through an Irish company account and two men were charged.

The bureau set up Operation HAECHI, under the auspices of INTERPOL, and targeted a number of cyber-enabled financial fraud and money-laundering activities. In one case, Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Ireland assisted in the recovery and return of almost €1m in funds to the Irish-based victim of a business email compromise fraud.

The Financial Intelligence Unit received almost 70,000 suspicious transaction reports (STRs).