Gardaí investigating withdrawals of significant sums of money from ATM machines across Dublin and Cork have seized passports, ID cards and cash in a search of a premises in Lucan, Co Dublin.
It is the second seizure of cash and cards in a week and brings the total value of cash recovered in the investigation to more than €322,000, so far.
The operation is part of an international investigation being led in Ireland by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau.
The ATM withdrawals took place in Dublin and Cork between August 11th and September 9th and involved the use of bank cards linked to accounts in Poland and Norway.
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Last Thursday, gardaí attached to the Economic Crime Bureau received information that significant cash withdrawals were being made. As a result gardaí stopped and searched a vehicle in the Lucan area of Dublin on Saturday.
During the search, a substantial quantity of cash and multiple bank cards were recovered. A man and woman aged in their 30s were arrested.
A follow-up search at a residence in Cork saw gardaí recover additional cash, foreign currency, false identification documents, bank cards and mobile phones. The total value of cash seized at this point of the operation amounted to €90,000.
However in a further search of a premises in Lucan on Monday gardaí seized a further €236,855 in cash; 660 Polish zloty, nine passports, five driving licences and three identity cards.
The man who was arrested is aged in his 30s. He remains detained in Garda custody under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007.
The woman who was arrested, aged in her mid 30s, has been released without charge, and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Gardaí are liaising with international law enforcement agencies through Europol in relation to bank accounts in Poland and Norway. The investigation is ongoing.
