A WOMAN IN her 20s has been arrested as part of an investigation into the alleged use of fraudulent European passports to launder over €160,000.

As part of the ongoing fraud investigation, gardaí from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau yesterday conducted a search of a residential property in south Dublin.

The woman was arrested and is currently detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

Gardaí also seized a car, as well as a number of documents of evidential value.

The arrest came as part of Operation Skein, an investigation into international criminal organisations which commit fraud worldwide and launder the proceeds through networks of bank accounts in Ireland.

It sees gardaí work closely with law-enforcement partners across several jurisdictions and is supported by Europol and Interpol.

A garda spokesperson said this “coordinated international approach reflects the scale and sophistication of the criminal network under investigation”.

The spokesperson added that “investigations are ongoing”.