Six cars, three luxury watches, six designer handbags and almost €19,000 in cash seized by CAB
The Criminal Assets Bureau has seized six cars, three luxury watches, six designer handbags and almost €19,000 in cash in an operation targeting criminal associates in the Midlands.
The four men targeted, aged 28, 29, 38 and 40, are all based in Longford town and are suspected of being significant players in the Midlands drugs market.
They are all married into a notorious extended criminal family in Longford and Westmeath. Two of the men are understood to be themselves related.
A total of 21 searches across eight counties were conducted, including five house and 16 business premises.
CAB was assisted by the Emergency Response Unit, the Armed Response Unit from the Western Division and local gardaí attached to Longford Garda District.
The searches were conducted in Longford, Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Tipperary, Cavan, Roscommon and Dublin.
One of the men was arrested by local gardaí under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud) Offences Act, 2001.
The following items were seized: a 191 Ford Focus; two 181 Ford Focus; a 181 Ford Ranger; aTuffMac car trailer; a car towing dolly; three Rolex watches; six designer handbags; €18,600 in cash and 42 fake €20 notes (€840 in total).
Bureau officers also took away financial documents, computers, mobile phones and drug paraphernalia.
The CAB operation stems from the work of a local asset profiler in Longford. There are 427 such profilers nationwide currently, compared to 378 at the end of 2018 and 259 at the end of 2017.
CAB conducted a nationwide tour of local joint policing committees across the country in 2017 and 2018.
Recent figures show that CAB has 24 targets in the Roscommon/Longford Division, an increase from 14 at the end of last year.
It currently has 34 targets in the Laois/Offaly Division, compared to 22 at the close of 2018. It has 18 targets in the Westmeath Division, compared to 15 last December.
The increase reflects a nationwide trend and stems in part from the rise in local profilers.
CAB has conducted 48 searches so far this year, double their planned amount at the start of the year – reflecting a rise in caseload.
