Guardia Civil arrested a number of associates of the Hutch organised crime gang yesterdayGerry Hutch’s Dublin home also searched by gardai as part of the inquiry
The Guardia Civil arrested a number of associates of the Hutch organised crime gang yesterday while the Monk’s Dublin home was also searched by gardai as part of the inquiry.
In total 11 searches have been carried out in Dublin and Spain targeting the “top-level” of the Hutch organised crime gang.
Sources said this included ‘The Monk’, who has been detained by the Spanish authorities as part of the money laundering investigation. Another man arrested is understood to be a close associate of Gerry Hutch.
The case is now being reviewed by an investigating judge who will determine if charges will be brought against those detained.
The only property searched in Ireland was Gerry Hutch’s family home in Clontarf involving members of the ERU, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), and the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).
The house was searched in an effort to recover any electronic devices or documents which could be of assistance to the Spanish investigation.
While it comes less than a week after reports that Gerard Hutch was considering running for the Dáil, the Spanish investigation has been ongoing for over two years.
Gerry Hutch outside his home previously
In June 2022 an associate of the Hutch gang was targeted during a search operations in Lanzarote.
Last year, the Monk walked free from the Special Criminal Court after being cleared of the murder of Kinahan associate David Byrne at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016.
The Hutch organised crime group has previously been described in the Special Criminal Court as less hierarchal than other crime groups and operating a patriarchal system.
It was involved in a feud with the Kinahan crime gang which claimed 18 lives over a three-year period between 2015 and 2018.
In a statement the Guardia Civil said it “has carried out searches and is involved in the operation. The judge has decreed secrecy and we cannot expand the information”.
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – October 24th
In a statement yesterday, a garda spokesperson said: “This morning, 23rd October 2024 searches have taken place in Spain and Ireland targeting a Transnational Organised Crime Group suspected to be involved in Money Laundering across a number of jurisdictions.
“Ten searches were conducted in Spain. Gardaí from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) are present in Spain supporting the Guardia Civil. One (1) search has taken place at a residential property in Dublin following receipt of an ILOR (International Letter of Request/ Mutual Legal Assistance) from the Spanish authorities.
“The search in Dublin was carried out by Gardaí attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI). An Officer from the Guardia Civil is in attendance and the search is supported by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and the Emergency Response Unit (ERU).
“This morning’s operation is part of ongoing liaison between the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Guardia Civil in Spain, which targets a Transnational Organised Crime Group who are located both in Ireland and Spain.
“A previous search targeting the group was conducted in Lanzarote in June 2022 by Guardia Civil on behalf of GNBCI. Investigations are ongoing.”
