A man who was arrested with €1.4 million of gold and a large quantities of cocaine and cash will appear in court on Monday.
It follows a two-day search of multiple business and residential properties by gardaí investigating suspected organised crime offences.
During the operation, which took place on Friday and Saturday and was led by the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT), a number of gold bars as well as €460,000 in cash and suspected cocaine worth approximately €210,000 was also seized.
A man in his 50s was arrested and is being held at a Dublin Garda station under section 4 Criminal Justice Act, 1984. He was charged by gardaí and Blanchardstown on Saturday and is expected to appear before Blanchardstown District Court on Monday.
Other Dublin Metro Regional Units were involved in the operation and members of the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) provided support. It is understood around two dozen gold bars were seized.
The gold appears to have originated with a Swiss company which sells gold bars and coins in various sizes to the general public.
The seizure of gold during operations targeting organised crime is rare in Ireland. However, criminal gangs in other jurisdictions have been known to use gold bars as a means to covertly store and transport wealth.
Commenting on the seizure, Chief Supt Garrett Billings, of DMR Regional office, said: “This seizure is another example of the fine work members of An Garda Siochana do on a daily basis to keep our communities safe.
“This operation, conducted by the Dublin Crime Response Team, is intended to target, disrupt and bring to justice those who cause significant harm in society.”
