Six people have been arrested and €700,000 in cash has been seized during a massive cross-city Garda operation targeting drug gangs in Dublin.
24 premises were searched in west Dublin on Wednesday, mainly in Ballyfermot, Clondalkin, Lucan, and Crumlin, with some also in Dublin’s city centre.
€700,000 in cash, 16 high value watches seized, and eight vehicles were taken in by officers during the massive sting.
Yesterday, the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and other special units tackled the 24 premises in an attempt to tackle gangs behind "drug related crimes, drug related threat to life incidents, and intimidation".
Most of the places searched were homes, with some Dublin businesses also included in the mix.
Cars were also stopped and searched during the mammoth operation.
Stacks of cash ranging from about €7,000 to as much as €250,000 were seized during the searches.
Phones and documents used for business purposes were also found.
Five men aged in their 30's and 40's and one woman (33-years-old) were arrested and brought to Dublin garda stations.
A garda spokeswoman said: "A total of six (6) suspects were arrested in the course of the GNDOCB led operation, including five (5) males, aged in their 30’s and 40’s and one (1) female aged 33 years.
"The arrests relate to suspected participation in the activities of a criminal organisation, to facilitate money laundering and drug trafficking, representing an alleged breach of the provisions of section 72 of Criminal Justice Act 2006.
"All suspects are currently detained pursuant to the provisions of section 50 of Criminal Justice Act, 2007, at various Garda stations within the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR).
"Investigations are ongoing and are assessed to be making significant progress."
Detective Chief Superintendent Seamus Boland said that the operation was carried out to help tackle drug related crime in West Dublin.
He said: "This operation, led by the GNDOCB, assisted by a significant number of other Garda Síochána personnel, including a number assigned to local drug units located in West Dublin, was designed to make a significant impact on those involved in OCGs who are causing significant damage to communities in West Dublin and elsewhere.
"The seizure of cash, valuable goods, vehicles and particular documents and the associated arrests is considered an important step in An Garda Síochána’s ambition to effectively tackle the criminal groups involved”.
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