Over €700,000 was seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau in Kerry last year.
According to CAB’s annual report, the majority of the funds were confiscated through the seizure of a house in Killarney and money laundering through the motor trade.
The largest seizure made in Kerry was that of a Killarney mansion called Anfield Manor located in Upper Ballycasheen.
The seizure was part of a five-year investigation into an organised crime gang and was placed on the market last year for €425,000.
The role of the Criminal Assets Bureau is to identify and seize wealth acquired through criminal activity.
In 2021, money laundering through the motor trade was also a focus for CAB officers in Kerry.
€153,000 was seized from a company bank account in Kerry as part of a larger operation involving the confiscation of 84 cars from a car dealership in Tipperary.
The bank account was in the name of a company called Autology Ltd., which was being operated by the Khan family in Lithuania.
The report notes that proceeds of frauds were laundered by being introduced into business operations to buy cars from British car auctions, which were then sold off through second hand motor dealers controlled by the Khans.
The Bureau also obtained €122,000 in cash, two vehicles and seven high value designer watches from an organised crime gang in Kerry which is involved in incidents of theft, fraud and the extortion of elderly and vulnerable victims.
Other confiscations in the southern region included that of an Audi A4 vehicle, over £6,600, €9,000 in cash and two investment bonds valued at €30,000.
The Criminal Assets Bureau is currently monitoring 42 criminals in Kerry.
Nationally, CAB returned €5.5 million to the Exchequer and another €5.5 million to victims of cryptocurrency theft.
