At least one arrest has been made in Tralee in connection with an international investigation into organised crime.
As part of Interpol’s Operation JACKAL, a week of international law enforcement action was planned for the week commencing the 26th of September, but this actually began in mid-August.
Irish involvement in this operation was led by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, which conducted searches in Dublin and Clare.
The GNECB also arrested and detained 11 people under organised crime legislation.
Operation JACKAL is called Operation SKEIN in Ireland, and is an ongoing, GNECB-run investigation into an international criminal organisation, which commits mainly business email compromise and romance frauds worldwide, and launders the proceeds through networks of bank accounts in Ireland.
Gardaí and INTERPOL believe that this criminal organisation is the Black AXE, a Criminal Organisation formed in West Africa in the mid-1970s and which is now operating worldwide.
An Garda Síochána says there were three facets to Ireland’s involvement in the operation.
These were to conduct searches for evidence, arrest, detain and question suspects, and arrest and charge suspects where directions have been received from the DPP.
The 23 arrests for charging were conducted by local districts, including Tralee.
Gardaí have identified over 800 money mules, who launder money using their own accounts for criminals, relating to this gang in Ireland, but they believe over 4,000 money mules who live in Ireland, the vast majority of whom are younger people.
Last year, Gardaí identified more than 50 young people in a Kerry town who were recruited as money mules for an international crime syndicate.
