Gardaí seize cash, luxury watches and a car from emerging drug dealer

Gardaí targeting the wealth of an emerging drug dealer based in west Dublin have raided a number of locations in Dublin and Wexford as part of an investigation into the man's assets.

The raids, which were led by the Criminal Assets Bureau, began this morning in counties Dublin and Wexford.

Gardaí seized cash and assets they believe are proceeds of crime. A large volume of documentation and some media devices were also taken away for examination.

Cab officers are hopeful a study of that material will yield information about money laundering and investment of the proceeds of drug dealing in property and other assets.

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About $1,500 and £250 was found and confiscated. Also seized was a 2014 Audi A6 car along with three watches; including a Rolex and two Tag Heuers.

Computer equipment, mobile phones, documents and a small amount of cocaine and cannabis were also seized.

In Dublin, three residential addresses were searched and in Co Wexford gardaí also searched a holiday home owned by the main target of Thursday’s operation.

The search teams led by the Cab’s officers also included members of the Dublin Metropolitan Region Special Crime Task Force and Revenue’s Customs officers.

“Today’s searches mark a significant development in the Cab investigation into this organised crime group,” the Garda said in a statement.

“The target was identified by the Special Crime Task Force established by the commissioner in July 2016.”

The Irish Times understands the main target of Thursday's operation has assumed controlled of the drug supply in parts of Tallaght following the implosion of another crime gang based there.

That gang, who have now effectively been replaced, fell apart after it was implicated in the shooting dead of 16-year-old Melanie McCarthy McNamara in Tallaght in 2012.

The void left by the implosion of that grouping has been filled by the man whose assets have been targeted in the raids in Dublin and Wexford.

Garda sources said while the Tallaght-based criminal was not arrested, the operation was centred on taking what assets the search teams found and also recovering any financial information that might reveal other assets hidden away.