‘You won't be out of our reach', warns top cops in vow to hunt Irish crime gangs across borders after extradition deal
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis - who has responsibility for the
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Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis vowed to hunt Irish crime gangs regardless of where they are based.
Credit: Gary Ashe
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Angela told our Crime Editor Stephen Breen that a number of Irish gangs have an 'international reach'
Credit: Gary Ashe
But a formal extradition treaty between the two countries was signed on May 18.
AC Willis - who has over 34 years policing experience - told how international cooperation was 'essential' to combating Ireland's transnational crime gangs.
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She also revealed how there is a 'significant number' of criminal organisations operating in Ireland with an 'international reach'.
They include mobs involved in murder,
Other gangs involved in child sexual exploitation, firearms, economic crime and intimidation are also in the sights of the Gardai's Organised and Serious Crime.
In recent times, The Family, the Kinahan cartel and The Black Axe gangs are just some of the criminal organisations who have been targeted in major operations.
AC Willis said: 'All of the top level
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'Global criminal networks are operating in unison and impacting very locally in Ireland, causing harm in our communities.
'Organised crime has also become increasingly complex and dynamic over the last few decades and that is why international cooperation is of critical importance in our investigations.
Sean McGovern arrives at Dublin court after extradition
'We have seen the value of our
'The extradition treaty with the UAE has strengthened our ability to target those who continue to impact our society, but who are based in the UAE.
"The treaty is very significant when it comes to combating organised crime. We had our first ever extradition from the UAE and that shows regardless of where you go you won't be out of our reach.'
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The Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, which includes the Garda Serious Crime Review Team and the Garda Extradition Unit, is one of the specialist units under Organised and Serious Crime.
LIVE INVESTIGATIONS
The GNBCI is currently involved in 39 major live investigations.
In 2024, they were involved in assisting other Garda divisions in 24 major investigations that included 15 for murder. The others were for organised crime and serious sexual offences.
Just last week, they also provided support to investigators investigating the disappearance of
So far this year, they have also investigated 94 incidents of people fraudulently applying for passports.
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'INTERNATIONAL REACH'
AC Willis added: 'There are significant crime gangs in Ireland who have an international reach and it's not just in the drugs area.
'We will continue to pursue all of the top level criminal organisations who have a footprint in other countries.
'Organised and serious crime doesn't know any borders and neither does our response.'
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Sean McGovern was extradited to Ireland on May 29
Credit: Crispin Rodwell - The Sun Dublin
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A huge bounty has been put on the head of cartel boss Daniel Kinahan
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'None of our successes against serious and organised crime groups in recent years would have been possible without the courage, dedication and commitment of the people who make up the bureaus.
'We have strong partnerships with international law enforcement and will continue to pursue those that threaten our communities.'
AC Willis also told how international cooperation was 'vital' as part of ongoing efforts to target cyber crime.
'TECH IS EVOLVING'
She said: 'International liaison is very important and we are at the forefront of investigations into cyber crime.
'We have already significant outcomes when it comes to the identification of victims and offenders, especially in the area of child exploitation.
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'Technology is constantly evolving, so we have to evolve our capabilities to ensure we are positioned to respond.'
In one cyber crime investigation, Gardai seized €13million in crypto currency and €600,000 worth of luxury goods.
AC Willis, who was appointed to the Organised and Serious Crime in October, told of her concerns over ongoing feuds in the capital among 'mid-level' crime gangs.
"The treaty is very significant when it comes to combating organised crime. We had our first ever extradition from the UAE and that shows regardless of where you go you won't be out of our reach.'
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis
In recent months, there have been shots fired at homes, petrol bomb attacks and assaults in the Bluebell, Ballyfermot and Dolphin House areas of Dublin.
Willis said: 'Criminality that impacts communities is a concern and there are crime groups engaged in violence at various levels. While we have seen a significant reduction over recent years in gangland murders, mid-level groups are causing fear in some communities.
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'This is an area of focus primarily for the Gardai's Dublin Metropolitan Region and all of the divisions, supported by the
'A LOT OF CHAOS'
'Some prominent offenders who were causing a lot of chaos - people who were at the mid-level and not on a national level - are now imprisoned.
'We continue to support our colleagues on investigations and it's a collective effort across the Garda organisation. We have a capacity to target the top level, which we do, and also the mid-level to prevent those groups from increasing their criminal networks.'
The Gardai also work closely with Revenue, Customs, the Irish Navy, the Air Corps and the Irish Defence Forces with Willis adding: 'such cooperation and collaboration is key to achieving success.'
And across
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The bureaus working under the Gardai's Organised and Serious Crime include The Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB), the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB).
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