Pair appear before Carlow court as part of international organised crime investigation
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A MAN and a Woman appeared before Carlow District Court this morning charged with offences related to an ongoing investigation into a transnational organised crime group.
The pair are among eight people charged in connection with the investigation, with others appearing before courts in Dublin, Thurles, Tullamore and Fermoy this morning.
Three women, aged in their 30s and 40s, and one man, aged in his 30s, were arrested last night in Cork, Laois and Carlow by investigating Gardaí in the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and charged in connection with the investigation. Four further men — three aged in their 40s and one in his 30s — also appeared before courts this morning on charges related to the same investigation.
The organised crime group is suspected of having a transnational element, linking with criminal entities abroad, and is believed to have been involved in a number of serious drug-related intimidation attacks nationally.
Last night’s operation followed on from a number of arrests which were made as part of the investigation earlier this year.
On Monday 16 February, personnel from GNDOCB conducted an operation which involved the search of 16 residential and business premises, and the arrest of three men (aged in their 30s and 40s) and one woman aged in her 30s. They were subsequently released without charge pending the submission of a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
During the search operation, 12 vehicles were seized with a number of concealments found in the vehicles, along with €32,668 in cash, 2kg of cannabis and a number of electronic devices including phones and laptops.
The investigation by GNDOCB has been ongoing since November 2024 and has focused on disrupting the activities of the group.
Operation Tara is an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy that was launched in July 2021 by then Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. It aims to disrupt drug trafficking networks operating in the country.
