Gardaí say the family are using paving, gardening and landscaping businesses to target elderly and vulnerable people.
The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has seized a sum of cash and property from a family suspected of extorting elderly and vulnerable people in Cork.
CAB in conjunction with a number of Garda departments conducted the search operation as part of Operation Thor on Wednesday morning.
In total 10 vehicles, cash to the value of €31,500 and four Rolex watches were seized in the searches.
The CAB investigation and searches centred on an Organised Crime Gang made up of members of an extended family based in Cork, who the Gardaí say are involved in Fraud, Theft, Deception, Extortion, Burglaries and in the Sale and Supply of Controlled Drugs.
Gardaí say the family are using paving, gardening and landscaping businesses to target elderly and vulnerable people to con them out of money.
According to a Garda statement: “They use intimidation to instil fear into their victims and charge exorbitant rates for substandard work.
“They are suspected of extorting large sums of cash from elderly and vulnerable persons for unnecessary work and engage in Theft and Burglary in the areas where they carry out work.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Clavin said on Wednesday: “This morning’s search operation is a significant development in the CAB investigation and is viewed as a major disruption to the activities of this gang.”
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