GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING MONEY laundering and romance fraud arrested a man over gangland offences after they carried out raids on several properties. 

Officers attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) carried out a search operation today as part of investigations into romance and phishing frauds. 

Two searches took place in the Citywest and Finglas areas. Following the searches, a man, aged in his 40s, was arrested in Finglas. 

He is being held under legislation which allows gardaí to arrest people for helping to facilitate money laundering for a organised crime group. 

He is currently detained  at Terenure Garda Station and he can be held for up to seven days.

Banking documents, a laptop and a phone were also seized during the operation.

Romance fraud is where people use fake identities, photographs and life stories to develop online relationships with their victims.

Gardaí say that inevitably, the fraudster will ask the person for money. This will continue until the victim realises they are being deceived, or has no more money to give.

Such crimes often leave vulnerable people with a feeling of hurt and mistrust in addition to their financial loss, gardaí have said. 

Regarding today’s operation, a garda spokesman said: “To date, this investigation has established that a number of bank accounts were created under false names. It is believed that approximately €660,000 has been laundered through these accounts.

“The money is understood to have emanated from a romance fraud that was operating in Germany between October 2020 and February 2021. In one particular case, an elderly woman was allegedly defrauded out of €230,000.”