A MAJOR Garda operation into organised crime in the Sligo area continued throughout yesterday, with detectives searching a number of houses and an island in the middle of a lake.
The searches followed raids on 18 premises in Sligo and some in Leitrim on Thursday. Yesterday gardaí excavated a portion of Church Island on Lough Gill in their search for drugs and money.
The operation, codenamed Operation Golf, is focusing on the activities of a well-known crime gang operating in Sligo town and county. The group is made up of about 20 convicted and suspected criminals.
Gardaí believe that the gang is one of the main suppliers and distributors of drugs in the western region and is also very heavily involved in prostitution in the area.
Detectives are also investigating crimes involving firearms for which some members of the gang are the chief suspects.
Some 25 houses, commercial properties and business offices have been searched since the operation began on Thursday. At first light, a team of about 90 officers, some from the area and others from specialist units, began the co-ordinated searches.
The operation is one of the biggest ever led by the Criminal Assets Bureau. It also involves the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Emergency Response Unit, the Garda Dog Unit, the Garda Water Unit and the Revenue's Customs and Excise Service.
No one was arrested during the two days of searching. However, reliable Garda sources said the investigation was at this stage focused on the assets of the leading gang members.
A very substantial amount of paper and computer records has been seized and will be analysed in coming weeks. Gardaí believe the chief suspects have been handling large amounts of cash and have in recent years invested in property in the west.
