Man arrested after €1.4m gold seized in Dublin – The Irish Times

A man arrested with €1.4 million in gold as well as large quantities of cocaine and cash will appear in court on Monday.

It follows a two-day search of several commercial and residential properties by gardaí investigating suspected organized crime offences.

The operation, which took place on Friday and Saturday under the direction of the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT), also saw the seizure of several gold bars as well as €460,000 in cash and suspected cocaine worth around €210,000.

A man in his 50s has been arrested and is being held at a Garda police station in Dublin under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. He was charged by gardaí and Blanchardstown on Saturday and is expected to appear in Blanchardstown District Court on Monday.

Other Dublin Metropolitan Area regional units were involved in the operation and members of the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) provided support. It is understood that around two dozen gold bars were seized.

The gold appears to come from a Swiss company that sells gold bars and coins in various sizes to the general public.

The seizure of gold during operations against organized crime is rare in Ireland. However, criminal gangs in other jurisdictions have been known to use gold bullion as a means of covertly storing and transporting wealth.

Commenting on the seizure, Chief Supt Garrett Billings from the DMR Regional Office said: “This seizure is another example of the good work that members of An Garda Siochana do every day to keep our communities safe.”

“This operation, carried out by the Dublin Crime Response Team, aims to target, disrupt and bring to justice those who cause significant harm to society.”