A man has been arrested in Dublin following a large-scale investigation into incidents of fraud and money laundering across a number of jurisdictions.
Gardaí from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau arrested the man in West Tallaght, Dublin 24 on Monday as part of investigations into a number of incidents of fraud across Ireland, the US, Norway and Germany.
The probe also examined subsequent money laundering through money mule accounts, businesses and trade-based money laundering operations.
The residence in Tallaght were the man was arrested was also searched, resulting in the seizure of a Range Rover suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime, along with a number of items of evidential value.
Gardaí have arrested a man and seized a number of items in a search of a residence in Tallaght yesterday.
This forms part of an investigation into fraud incidents in a number of international jurisdictions and money laundering operations.
A man in his 20s is currently detained. pic.twitter.com/caHtfISDHL— Garda Info (@gardainfo) August 15, 2023
Advertisement
Those items included a number of passports, bank cards in family names and names of suspected money mules, bank account details, and details of registered companies and businesses. Cash in euros and dollars, a cash counting machine, 30 mobile phones, a desktop computer, and a laptop were also removed from the scene.
The man, aged in his early 20s, was arrested under the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and is currently detained at a Garda station in Dublin.
Gardaí said he is suspected of being a money mule herder who recruits money mules and manages their bank accounts.
The force added that up to 50 different money mules have been identified as having laundered over €196,000 through the man's bank accounts in Ireland, Germany and Belgium, with the money mainly coming from smashing frauds in Ireland.
A second man, aged in his 50s, was also arrested during the search. Gardaí said his arrest was in relation to immigration offences and he was later refused leave to land. He is current detained pending his removal from the State.
Gardaí said investigations into the matter are ongoing.
