€340k in cash seized as man arrested in Cork by gardaí investigating fraud
Investigation' Picture Relation Said 'in The Clonakilty In File An Statement A To Fraud Ongoing Arrested Was Man Garda
A man is being questioned and cash has been seized in a garda investigation into an alleged fraud in connection with the sale of fire safety equipment.
It is understood that more than €340,000 was seized in a recent search while the man, aged in his 50s, was arrested on Monday morning in Cork in connection with approximately 50 incidents.
The investigation is being led by gardaí in Skibbereen Garda Station in West Cork.
A garda statement said the man was arrested in Clonakilty “in relation to an ongoing fraud investigation”.
It continued: “This investigation relates to the commission of approximately 50 offences for deception, contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Theft & Fraud) Offences Act, 2001 that occurred in the Southern and Eastern Regions.
"A search operation was conducted at a domestic residence in Clonakilty on Thursday 14 November 2024 and during the course of this search, gardaí seized over €344,000 in cash.”
It added: “This was a joint operation conducted by gardaí from the Cork County Division and with the assistance of Criminal Assets Bureau, Garda Analyst Service, Revenue & Customs and Cork County Waste Management.”
It is understood the arrest follows a number of complaints from householders and businesses across Cork in recent months. It is understood that sums of between €200 and €2,500 have been lost by individuals who purchased equipment they believed was legitimate.
The reports to gardaí relate to the sale of equipment including fire extinguishers and the servicing of such equipment.
Allegations include that payment was made for products which were not supplied, while some extinguishers taken away for servicing were not returned to their owners. Others are alleged to have been replaced with inadequate equipment.
Irish Standard 291 governs the area of fire extinguishers, including the installation, inspection, and servicing of them.
Extinguishers must be test discharged and refilled every three years under the standards.
In such circumstances, the standards outline that loan units are to be provided to the client to ensure no loss of cover while units are removed, until they are returned again.
It is understood that people who used card payments in their transactions have been liaising with their banks in an effort to have their money returned to them.
Several people also attempted to get in touch with the man they were dealing with in relation to the fire safety equipment to get their money back, but failed.