THE CRIMINAL ASSETS Bureau (CAB) today seized over €2 million worth of luxury cars as part an operation targeting organised criminals based here and in the UK. 

CAB, working with police officers from the Economic Crime Bureau attached to West Midlands Police in the UK, carried out the operation in Clare and Tipperary.

Gardaí said these raids were carried out as part of a cyber-fraud and money-laundering investigation in the UK.

The CAB investigation is focussed on the assets of an international organised crime group who are suspected of laundering the proceeds of mandate fraud committed in the UK via a used car outlet in Tipperary.

Mandate fraud is when someone gets you to change a direct debit, standing order or bank transfer mandate, by purporting to be an organisation you make regular payments to, for example, a subscription or membership organisation or your business supplier.

Gardaí said searches were conducted at two residential premises and one business premises in Clare, and two residential and one business premises in Tipperary. The search of the one business premises in Tipperary, a used car outlet, remains ongoing, gardaí said.

So far, the following has been seized:

• Over 80 Cars with an approximate value of €2,000,000
• Cash in the amount of €21,000
• In excess of €200,000 has been restrained in financial accounts linked to the organised criminal group

This morning’s search operation involved CAB, the Emergency Response Unit, the Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit, the Garda National Immigration Bureau, the Garda Technical Bureau and were assisted by the Revenue Customs Dog Unit.

Speaking about today’s operation the Chief Bureau Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins said: “Today’s search operation is an example of the ongoing cooperation between the Criminal Assets Bureau, An Garda Síochána and UK Police Forces in the investigation of International Organised Criminal Groups. Our activities are in furtherance of the CAB mission ‘to deny and deprive’.