The Dublin home of Gerry Hutch was raided by gardaí on Wednesday morning following a request for information from Spanish police who are investigating money laundering offences.
Ten searches were conducted in Spain, with gardaí from the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) in the region to support the Guardia Civil.
It is understood that his home was one of a number of properties – and the only residence in Ireland – raided as part of the investigation into the Hutch organised crime group.
Sources stressed this was a Spanish-led investigation into suspected money laundering offences and that gardaí are acting on a request for assistance.
The raid shows that Mr Hutch (61) remains a target of organised crime investigators, despite his acquittal last year for the gun attack on the Regency Hotel in Dublin and the murder of Kinahan gang member David Byrne at the hotel in 2016.
It is understood police in Spain have made a number of arrests in relation to the investigation. The Guardia Civil declined to comment.
The search in Dublin was carried out by gardaí attached to the GNBCI. An officer from the Guardia Civil was in attendance and the search was supported by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) and the Emergency Response Unit (ERU).
A previous search targeting the Hutch group was conducted in Lanzarote in June 2022 by Guardia Civil on behalf of GNBCI.
The search comes just days after it emerged Mr Hutch is considering running as an independent in the upcoming general election, in the hope of unseating Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
On Sunday, a number of local sources confirmed Mr Hutch has been contemplating contesting the election in Dublin Central for the last several weeks and is close to a decision.
One source, who is close to the family, said one of Mr Hutch’s primary motivations is to take votes away from Sinn Féin, which is currently significantly down in the polls and dealing with several controversies.
Mr Hutch has harboured a deep animosity towards Sinn Féin since the Regency trial, when former party member and Dublin city councillor Jonathan Dowdall gave evidence that he masterminded the 2016 attack with the goal of killing rival criminal Daniel Kinahan.
The Special Criminal Court rejected Dowdall’s evidence after he was caught out in several lies. It acquitted Mr Hutch of murder but said it was satisfied he had authority over the three AK-47 rifles used in the attack.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
