CAUGHT: Gardaí bust suspected money mule herder working with up to 50 scammers

Gardaí have arrested a man in his early 20s identified as being a suspected money mule herder. 

The man was arrested by Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) officers as part of Operation SKEIN/JACKAL, with a number of items of evidential value seized during the search of a residence in West Tallaght, Dublin 24 on Monday August 14. 

The search was conducted as part of a larger investigation into incidents of fraud in jurisdictions including Norway, Germany, the USA, Hawaii and Ireland, and the subsequent laundering of money through money mule accounts, businesses and trade-based money laundering operations.

During the course of the search, a high valued Range Rover, which is suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of crime, was seized along with the following items: 

•             A number of Passports
•             Bank cards in family names and names of suspected money mules
•             Bank account details
•             Details of registered companies and businesses
•             Cash in euros and dollars
•             A note teller (cash counting machine)
•             30 mobile phones
•             A desktop computer and laptop

The arrested man is currently detained at a Garda Station in Dublin.

Up to 50 different money mules are identified as having laundered over €196,000 through his bank accounts in Ireland, Germany and Belgium. 

According to Gardaí, this money came from victims of mainly smishing frauds in Ireland, was initially laundered through these 50 money mule accounts and then forwarded by the money mules to the suspects’ three bank accounts.

A man in his 50s was also arrested during the course of this search for immigration offences and was later refused leave to land. 

He is being detained pending his removal from this jurisdiction.  

Investigations are ongoing.