Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 198: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the extent to which criminal gangs have infiltrated the security or financial services areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34789/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the extent to which he is aware of protection, intimidation, racketeering and extortion by criminal gangs; the action he has taken or proposes to take to combat such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34797/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the extent, in the context of the number of criminal gangs operating throughout the country, to which their whereabouts are known and identified; the number of occasions in which the leading personalities have been arrested in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34800/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 210: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of times the members of the leading criminal gangs have been arrested in the past 12 months; the number of such criminal gang members who have not been arrested or interviewed by the Garda in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34801/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 212: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of known members of criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking and currently in exile; the extent to which contact has been made with the local police force with a view to extradition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34803/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 198, 206, 209, 210 and 212 together.

I am advised by Garda management that in general terms there are two broad categories of organised crime groups operating in this jurisdiction. The first category consists of individuals/groups that are well established and tightly structured and are involved in drug trafficking, armed robbery and firearms offences. The second category involves groups whose activities are characterised by less cohesive group structures and are involved in criminal activities which are mainly confined to Ireland.

The membership of organised gangs tends to be fluid and the nature of criminal activity is such that offences committed by members of gangs may or may not be connected with the individual's membership of such gangs. It is therefore not possible, without the expenditure of an inordinate amount of time and resources, to attribute specific figures to the membership or activity of such gangs.

Organised criminal gangs operating in this jurisdiction are targeted on an ongoing basis by An Garda Síochána and profiles regarding the personnel of such groups are continually updated. Their members, operating methods, criminal interests and financial assets are likewise proactively targeted through the use of intelligence-led operations which are primarily undertaken by specialist units of An Garda Síochána acting under the remit of the Assistant Commissioner, National Support Services. A number of organised crime groups have been successfully targeted in this manner recently with firearms and drugs being recovered. This has led to a number of people from these organised groups being prosecuted and convicted before the Courts.

In November 2005 the Organised Crime Unit at the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation was set up to combat the growth of organised crime, and in particular armed criminal gangs. This Unit has been expanded and now comprises of 70 members working full time to proactively target the various criminal groups throughout the city. The Unit continues to work closely with other specialist units including the Garda National Drugs Unit and the Special Detective Unit / Emergency Response Unit in targeting those suspected of involvement in organised criminal activity.

The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation is also closely involved in Operation 'Anvil', particularly within the Dublin Metropolitan Region. Local initiatives under Operation 'Anvil' are now in place in all regions nationwide in order to address more comprehensively at a national level increases in violent crime. This operation has successfully targeted a number of criminals gangs involved in gun crime. Operation 'Anvil' commenced in the Dublin Metropolitan Region in 2005 and was extended nationally during 2006. It is an intelligence-led policing initiative, the focus of which is the targeting of active criminals and their associates involved in serious crime by preventing and disrupting their criminal activity, through extensive additional overt patrolling, static checkpoints, by uniform mobile and foot patrols, supported by armed plain-clothes patrols, in conjunction with other, covert, operations.

The Criminal Assets Bureau has been successful in identifying, targeting and seizing funds accumulated by criminals, thus depriving them of the profits of their criminal activity. A dedicated unit within the Garda National Drugs Unit has been established to liaise with the Criminal Assets Bureau to target those criminals and criminal groupings believed to be deriving profits and assets from drug-related criminal activity. The multi-unit, integrated approach adopted by An Garda Síochána reflects best international practice and continues to use, in a coordinated manner, specialist resources and available criminal legislation to its fullest extent. Operations are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure their effectiveness.

Within the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Anti-Racketeering Unit is involved in the prevention and detection of this type of criminal activity on a national basis. An Garda Síochána complies with the provisions of Section 34 of the Private Security Services Act, 2004 in that it provides information on applicants for a licence to the Private Security Authority on request. While there have been instances where persons involved in the security industry have been charged with criminal offences, there is no evidence to support the view that there is any orchestrated infiltration of security industry.

The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation has carried out a number of investigations where organised crime groups have used employees of financial institutions to obtain data to enable them to commit fraud. Such groups have also used members of their group to gain employment in financial institutions for the same purpose. There is no substantive intelligence to indicate that organised criminal groups have infiltrated the financial services area from a money-laundering perspective. However, there is substantive evidence to indicate that these groups are prone to use alternative banking systems and cash 'couriers' to transport large amounts of cash out of the jurisdiction thus avoiding the use of conventional banking systems.

In this respect, current legislation, Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1994, empowers a member of An Garda Síochána or Customs Officer to seize and detain cash which is being imported or exported from the State if the amount is greater than the prescribed sum (€6,250) and there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that it directly or indirectly represents the proceeds of, or is intended by any person for use in, drug trafficking. Furthermore EU Regulation 1889/05, which came into force in June 2007, requires a declaration by any person importing or exporting cash from the EU above a prescribed amount (€10,000) to an official from the appropriate Customs Authority. Where information comes into the possession of An Garda Síochána indicating the involvement of criminals in the type of activity suggested in the question it is subject of thorough investigation.

In terms of Irish criminals operating in foreign jurisdictions, An Garda Síochána works closely with International law enforcement agencies in targeting the activities of these individuals and the offices of Europol are used extensively to coordinate the exchange of intelligence in the targeting of these criminals. An Garda Síochána has liaison officers posted in a number of European countries including London, Paris, and Madrid, in addition to officers posted to the Hague and Europol. It is the function of these staff to liaise with the police and judicial authorities in those and neighbouring jurisdictions in the context of serious and organised criminal activity with an Irish dimension. Garda management continue to review operational activities to ensure that the most effective response to criminal activity is in place and to counter new and emerging trends.