Searches in Ireland and Spain as arrests targeting Hutch crime group expected
Police And Out Eleven Carried Spanish Properties Gardaí Across Searches
Multiple arrests are understood to be taking place in Spain against major players in the Hutch organised crime group.
In addition to search operations of 10 properties in Lanzarote and one in Dublin, officers from Guardia Civil in Spain are expected to arrest a number of Irish people heavily linked to the Hutch group. The Dublin home of a prominent leader of the gang is among those that has been raided.
It is understood the arrests will be with the intention of charging people with money laundering and possibly other offences.
Wednesday's searches are the culmination of a major investigation by Spanish police and gardaí against the infamous crime gang and stemmed in large part from searches in Lanzarote in June 2022 targeting Hutch figures.
The operation is being led in Ireland by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI), assisted by the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
The elite and heavily armed ERU is only tasked for searches where there is an assessed high security risk.
Officers from the GNBCI are also in Lanzarote, assisting police there and members from the Guardia Civil are in Dublin.
The investigation into money laundering by the Hutch criminal network has been ongoing for at least two years.
Garda headquarters said today's searches are part of ongoing liaison between GNBCI and Guardia Civil in Spain, targeting a transnational organised crime group who are located both in Ireland and Spain.
A previous search targeting the group was conducted in Lanzarote in June 2022 by Guardia Civil on behalf of GNBCI.
In a statement, Garda HQ said multiple searches were carried out in Spain and Ireland on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation targeting criminal activities carried out by a "transnational organised crime group".
The statement added that the gang is suspected to be involved in money laundering across a number of jurisdictions.
"Ten (10) searches were conducted in Spain. Gardaí from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) are present in Spain supporting the Guardia Civil. One (1) search has taken place at a residential property in Dublin following receipt of an ILOR (International Letter of Request/ Mutual Legal Assistance) from the Spanish authorities.
"The search in Dublin was carried out by Gardaí attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI). An Officer from the Guardia Civil is in attendance and the search is supported by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and the Emergency Response Unit (ERU).
"This morning’s operation is part of ongoing liaison between the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Guardia Civil in Spain, which targets a Transnational Organised Crime Group who are located both in Ireland and Spain. A previous search targeting the group was conducted in Lanzarote in June 2022 by Guardia Civil on behalf of GNBCI. Investigations are ongoing."
The arrests follow extensive publicity in Sunday newspapers last weekend regarding suggestions that Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is considering standing in his home Dublin Central constituency in the General Election.