PROCEEDS:THE CRIMINAL Assets Bureau (Cab) paid more than €3 million into State coffers last year from seized assets and collected a further €4 million from criminals it targeted by applying Revenue laws to undeclared criminal earnings.
According to the Garda annual report for 2010, which has not yet been published but has been seen by The Irish Times, the bureau began 15 major new cases before the High Court last year.
Following the disposal of assets that had previously been frozen by High Court orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act, Cab paid €3.1 million into State coffers during last year.
Cases against some 31 criminals were concluded in which monies were paid to the bureau in respect of taxes and interest on undeclared income from criminal activities. These totalled €4 million.
Officers from the bureau worked with investigators from Revenue in the investigation of those cases.
Cab also pursued a number of criminals who were found to be claiming social welfare payments despite having incomes from crime. Criminals who were overpaid social welfare were also targeted by the bureau.
A total of €633,000 in savings was made by cutting of social welfare payments to the criminals at the centre of the cases, while €181,000 in overpayments was recovered.
Last year Cab undertook a major expansion of its assets-profiler capabilities. Profilers are gardaí based around the country who are trained by Cab to draw up a profile of the earnings and assets of people suspected to be deriving an income from crime.
An additional 47 assets profilers were trained last year, bringing to 150 the number of profilers based in Garda divisions nationwide.
The decision to train such large numbers of profilers follows an added emphasis by Cab in recent years to tackle younger criminals who have only begun to get involved in organised crime.
It is hoped by taking some of their assets from them, however insubstantial that wealth may be, the activities of the younger criminals will be greatly disrupted before they become wealthier and more powerful in the underworld.
The Garda annual report for 2010 also reveals almost 1,000 illegal firearms were seized by gardaí last year, slightly down on recent years. Of these, there were 217 air pistols, 154 air rifles, 153 shotguns and 121 stun guns. There were also fewer more lethal firearms seized.