Men on trial for alleged credit-card crime
A credit card counterfeiting gang was interrupted by gardaí in the process of making cards at a house in Cork city for use in ATM machines, it was claimed on the opening day of a trial today.
The three accused men each deny 16 charges related to the alleged crime at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
The defendants are Ali Raza (aged 48) of 2 Knotts Green Road, Leyton, London; Mohammed Khaleed (aged 24) of 40 Gilbey Yard, London, and Mohammed Majid (aged 37) of 15 Jones Road, London.
John Edwards, senior counsel for the State, opened the case before a jury of seven men and five women.
Detective Gardaí John McDonagh and Damien Moloney stopped a jeep at traffic lights on Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork, at 9.30pm on Saturday, June 3.
They found a nodge of cannabis on the driver and asked to accompany him to his house at 28 Elmvale Avenue, Wilton, Cork, to search it.
“The gardaí approached the house. They could see through the front window of the living room.
"There were four men in that room. One man could be seen using a computer. Another was writing on a piece of paper,” Mr Edwards SC said.
He said the owner of the house opened the front door with his key and the two detectives entered the living room, Det. Gda McDonagh calling out: “Police.”
“A male stood up and threw a gold cigarette box later found to contain credit-card type cards. Two men stopped their activity at the laptop computer.
"Because of the way they reacted, gardaí thought there was unlawful activity going on,” Mr Edwards SC said.
He said Khaleed was the man seen at the laptop computer, Majid was the man writing things down beside the computer, and Raza was seen sitting in an armchair in the living room.
A fourth man, not on trial yesterday, is said to have thrown the cigarette box containing the cards.
Det. Gda McDonagh’s impression was that they were cloning credit cards.
The men were asked to leave the living room while it was examined by gardaí.
It was said they found a bundle of Tesco Clubcards on the floor and other types of cards with magnetic strips, some of them blank cards.
“Gardaí formed the view that they had interrupted a credit card counterfeiting gang and that these men were in the process of making these cards when the house was raided.
"It is the State’s case that all three men were engaged in this activity as a common design and joint enterprise,” Mr Edwards SC said.
Of the 16 charges, two relate to having an electronic device for reading and writing the magnetic strip data on a card with the intention of using it in connection with theft or fraud, and 14 charges related to having plastic cards with magnetic strips to be used in a theft.
All charges relate to Saturday, June 3, at 28 Elmvale Avenue, Wilton, Cork.
The trial continues tomorrow.
