BUSINESSES AND residential addresses have been searched along the Border in a major joint operation between law enforcement authorities into fuel laundering and smuggling in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
A total of 21 premises were searched, including the offices of solicitors and accountants.
Documentation seized in the Republic has been taken by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) for examination.
The searches, carried out under Operation Jutty, were led in the Republic by Cab.
The operation is aimed at the investigation of assets of those people involved in oil laundering and smuggling and in particular one man in Co Monaghan. He is regarded as the ringleader of the group, and is suspected of involvement in large-scale illegal fuel laundering and smuggling for many years.
In the Republic searches were carried out in Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal.
The searches in the North were focused on the South Armagh area.
In the Republic five searches were carried out at the offices of professional companies, while a further nine searches were carried out at commercial and residential addresses.
Some of the search sites were at businesses selling fuel, while others were at houses with yards where gardaí suspect laundering operations were based.
Gardaí seized some equipment which may be used in laundering operations. Some €20,000 in cash was also seized, along with documentation, four vehicles and in excess of 75,000 litres of fuel.
In the North a further 100,000 litres of fuel and vehicles were seized.
An estimated 25,000 litres of toxic waste was also found. It is produced when dye is illegally washed from commercial fuel for sale as regular fuel.
Operation Jutty was conducted as part of the work of the Organised Crime Task Force, which targets cross-Border crime.
It involved local gardaí, Cab, the Emergency Response Unit and Revenue’s Customs and Excise.
In the North, the operation was led by HMR Customs Service and was assisted by members of the PSNI.
John Whiting, the assistant director of criminal investigations at Northern Ireland customs, said: “Serious and organised criminals are increasingly sophisticated, and the measures they use to avoid detection are increasingly complex.
“They are attacking the tax system in many different ways with the aim of stealing huge amounts of revenue.
“Today’s operation shows that those who think they can use the Border as a way to commit crime or hide their criminal proceeds and escape justice need to think again.”
He added: “Our response through the Cross-Border Fuel Fraud Enforcement Group is to ensure we are targeting those individuals and groups doing most harm in our communities.”
Meanwhile, the Society of the Irish Motor Industry has praised both Revenue and the Garda for their recent success in clamping down on illegal vehicles on Irish roads.
