€ 1m cash seized from ‘ crime gang’
GARDAI seized € 1million in cash after intercepting a van on a motorway and arrested a man suspected of being in a secretive organised crime gang.
Members of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau searched a vehicle on the M7 motorway in Co Kildare at 6.30am yesterday.
A 45- year- old man from Lithuania was arrested on suspicion of involvement with the West Dublin drugs gang operating from the Ballyfermot area, known as “The Family”.
He is being detained at Portlaoise Garda station under anti-gang legislation and can be questioned for up to seven days.
Gardai seized a further €10,000 in cash after carrying out a follow-up search of a house in the midlands.
It is the second major cash seizure believed to be linked to the gang in the past three months.
Last October, the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau seized € 4million following a raid on a remote property in Co Kerry.
Assistant Commissioner John O’driscoll, who heads Organised and Serious Crime within An Garda S io chan a, described yesterday’ s seizure as significant.
He said: “We again today have made a significant advance in our attempt to dismantle organised crime groups by locating and seizing the suspected proceeds of their criminal activity.”
“The Family” has grown into the country ’s biggest mob while cops were battling the Kin a hanHutch feud.
Sources estimated they have smuggled € 100million of “dirty money” out of the country in the past five years.
The criminal empire is headed up by two brothers based in the Ballyfermot area, with around a dozen loyal associates scattered across west and north Co Dublin.
They built their business by mainly trafficking heroin and sources revealed the outfit has steered clear of murders and the mob violence that placed their rivals in the police spotlight.
It is understood the brothers leading the gang have no major criminal convictions.