2026-07-01

17. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an update on the work in his Department to counter money laundering in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49236/26]

I ask the Minister for an update on the work of his Department to counter money laundering in the State. I am sure that, no more than me, he has been contacted by many people, particularly parents, where kids have been stupid, got messages on the Internet and fallen stupidly into being a money mule, or even other scenarios where they have fallen in with their friends and been used and abused to a degree. In some cases, it is small numbers but still significant, but in others, huge sums have been put through people's accounts.

I thank the Deputy. He asks an opportune question because last week, along with the Tánaiste, I launched Ireland's third national risk assessment on money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. Risk assessments are key in identifying the risks from money laundering and terrorist financing. There was a report that contains a lot of useful information. One of the things I was trying to do last week, and it is important that we emphasise it again, is that there are many commercial enterprises which are not fulfilling their money laundering obligations. If somebody comes into a shop with €10,000 in cash and they want to buy a handbag, piece of clothing or something like that, it should trigger immediate concern. There are statutory obligations on the part of the shop owner. That is an area that An Garda Síochána is concerned about, that a lot of money laundering is being done by purchasing expensive products. There was the introduction of a ban on cash payments over €10,000 and the extension of anti-money laundering laws to new sectors, including football clubs. My Department's anti-money laundering compliance unit is engaging with the Central Bank on the establishment of the EU anti-money laundering authority, which will be vital to maintaining the stability and transparency of the EU financial system. On Monday, I signed the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Administrative Sanctions) Regulations 2026 into law, providing the anti-money laundering compliance unit with the power to impose administrative financial sanctions on trust or company service providers for breaches of the Act. The Deputy mentioned the issue of money mules. People need to be aware that if something looks too good to be true, it generally is not true. They need to be really careful and cautious, because they will find themselves before the courts getting a conviction for doing something that is very serious.

The Minister is right. It is about getting the message out there that as much as somebody might stupidly fall into this, the ramifications for their future life can be serious, as they should be. It is not only kids who are involved in this. We are talking about some highly sophisticated operations. There is huge money in the drugs business. We know the huge impact it has on individuals and communities. The impact on communities is the reason the Committee on Drugs Use came up with the recommendations that it has. We know what is happening at the minute is insufficient and is not dealing with the issue. That is the reality, no matter what the Minister's view is on decriminalisation. We have to get serious. We need to make sure we have the capacity to deal with everything from businesses to small operations that can build into big operations, where people were taking control of people's bank accounts, putting huge money through them and leaving them open to prosecution and whatever else.

An Garda Síochána has a good record when it comes to organised crime. I was at an event last Friday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the murder of Veronica Guerin. If we think about that, in terms of the organised drug gangs in Ireland, many of them have been taken out of action by An Garda Síochána. They went to Spain. They were then chased out of there. They went to the United Arab Emirates and they are being chased out of there. You cannot get away from the consequences of your actions. It is inevitably the case that somebody is going to take over. For as long as there is a demand for drugs, there is going to be a business in drugs. We also need a strong message to go out that people who get involved in serious crime, in terms of organised crime, are going to face serious sentences. There are lots of people in prison for organised crime and drug dealing. They have been given lengthy sentences. I urge anyone who thinks they can make money easily by allowing their accounts to be used by others to reconsider. They will find themselves before the courts and, potentially, in prison.

We all welcome the action that was taken after the death of Veronica Guerin. It is a pity it took that. I do not think there is anyone who has not welcomed the action taken against the Kinahans. We need to see more of it - quicker, better and faster. It is as simple as that. I have seen many instances of the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, taking houses or vehicles off people. Unfortunately, that is just the cost of doing business and they are back in operation the next day. As much as we are not going to police our way out of this situation, we need to deal with those serious criminals who are involved in violence and using vulnerable and younger people to clean their money. It is vital we get the message out there. There will have to be action against those who are doing this. The fact is that we need a huge level of support, including early family supports to deal with the underlying issues in some of these cases.

The Criminal Assets Bureau has a good record. To go back to Veronica Guerin, her murder inspired the enactment of the proceeds of crime legislation and the establishment of CAB. The bureau has a strong record. Other European countries are interested in the fact that one can have a non-conviction based seizure process. People have assets taken from them which are the proceeds of crime, but it is on the balance of probabilities. We do not need to establish in front of a jury. Strong evidence is put forward by a chief superintendent. I commend CAB on the outstanding work it does. It is seizing a lot of assets. At the end of each year, there is a CAB auction online and one can see the types of products that have been seized, including watches, expensive handbags and clothing. The money that CAB generates as a result of the auctions is significant, although obviously it is just a fraction of the money that was spent on these goods. It shows the level of money that is involved in drugs. That is why we need a consistent message in respect of drug gangs, that the State will stand up to them and take them out.