An Garda Síochána is auctioning gold bullion seized from a Kazakhstani drugs gang that was operating in Ireland. The main player in the group absconded when he was bailed and is on the run despite facing 10 charges in the Republic.
However, his wife and mother-in-law, who a court was told were afraid of the man, were jailed for their role in the gang’s operations. The gold, valued at €1.4 million, was seized during intelligence-led searches in Dublin in 2024 by the Dublin Crime Response Team.
An online auction of the gold, run by Wilsons Auctions on behalf of the Garda, opened at 1pm on Friday and closes at 1pm on Monday. The items being sold are available for viewing on the company’s website.
Bidders must register in order to take part, including providing proof of identity, with bids from members of the public only being accepted online. The net proceeds of the sale will be returned to the State.
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“Recovering and returning the proceeds of crime is a key part of disrupting organised criminal activity,” said Det Insp Ken Holohan. “This auction ensures that seized assets are processed transparently, with all funds ultimately going back to the State where they belong.”
The auctioning of assets seized from criminals has become a regular event for the Garda. Assets auctioned have usually been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab). It holds auctions, usually via Wilsons, of any items it seizes from criminals, including jewellery, clothing, accessories and higher value assets such as properties and vehicles.
However, the latest auction, of the gold, does not involve Cab because the assets being offered for sale were seized during a drugs investigation carried out by the Dublin Crime Response Team.
The public auctions are seen as a fast and effective way to sell assets for the highest price possible. Garda sources pointed out auctions were also the most public sale process available to the force.
It meant members of the public could view the items, and see how much they fetched, in a fully transparent process that clearly demonstrated how the force was disrupting those involved in organised crime.
During the operation when the gold was seized, gardaí also found €460,000 in cash and cocaine and ecstasy valued at about €210,000. The finds were made during searches in September 2024, at locations in Lucan, Dundrum and Ballsbridge, all in Dublin.
[ Cab recoups more than €1m following sales of properties linked to criminalsOpens in new window ]
It is alleged the gold bullion, along with some high-value coins and the cash, were the proceeds of drug dealing in the Republic. Gold bars and coins weighing 18kg was found, along with the cash, at a business premises, and the drugs were discovered during the search of a residential property.
The chief suspect, Farhats Bahtijevs, then aged 55 and living in Lucan, was arrested and appeared in court in 2024. He faced three charges of money laundering and three charges relating to false documents found by gardaí along with four separate charges of possessing the ecstasy and cocaine, including for sale or supply.
Bahtijevs told gardaí he took responsibility for the drugs. He said while the gold and other items – including identity and authenticity documents, along with bank cards – were in safety deposit boxes and safes controlled by his wife and her mother, both from Latvia, they had registered the boxes at his direction.
He was eventually granted bail, mainly to care for the two children he had with his wife, but then skipped bail and is believed to have returned to Kazakhstan. The investigation resulting in the gold, cash and drugs being found was commenced after gardaí secured intelligence that Bahtijevs was involved in the drugs trade.
His wife and mother in law – Svethana Bahtijeva (39), Earlsfort Court, Lucan, and Jelene Idele (59) with an address at Glenbourne Walk, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 – were not the initial targets of the investigation.
They were charged with possessing the proceeds of crime and, after pleading guilty, Bahtijeva was jailed for five years. Her mother was given a four-year sentence, though that was suspended. She cared for her grandchildren while her daughter was in custody and their father was abroad and unaccounted for.
There was evidence in court that Bahtijeva felt controlled and directed by her husband, whom she met in Ireland after coming here aged 19 years. Her mother also said she believed her son-in-law was dangerous and was directed by him.
Both women denied knowledge of any drugs business and also did not know the full extent or origins of what was in the safety deposit boxes and safes. The court accepted the marriage between Bahtijeva and Bahtijevs was over and, after he fled the country, neither woman had any contact with him.
