A man has been arrested by gardaí and a number of items have been seized in relation to a larger investigation into incidents of fraud in jurisdictions including Norway, Germany, the USA, Hawaii and Ireland.
On Monday, August 14, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) searched a residence in west Tallaght as part of an investigation into the laundering of money through money mule accounts, businesses and trade-based money laundering operations.
The man who was arrested was identified as being a suspected money mule herder recruiting money mules and managing their bank accounts.
READ MORE: Young Irish people targeted by criminals to work as money mules face up to 14 years in jail
During the search, a high-valued Range Rover, which is suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime, was seized along with the following items:
- A number of Passports
- Bank cards in family names and names of suspected money mules
- Bank account details
- Details of registered companies and businesses
- Cash in euros and dollars
- A note teller (cash counting machine)
- 30 mobile phones
- A desktop computer and laptop
A man in his early 20s was arrested for an offence contrary to the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and is currently detained at a Garda station in Dublin.
Up to 50 different money mules are identified as having laundered over €196,000 through his bank accounts in Ireland, Germany and Belgium.
This money came from victims of mainly smishing frauds in Ireland, was initially laundered through these 50 money mule accounts and then forwarded by the money mules to the suspects’ three bank accounts.
A man in his 50s was also arrested during the course of this search for immigration offences and was later refused to leave to land. He is being detained pending his removal from this jurisdiction. Gardaí have said investigations are ongoing.
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