GARDAÍ WERE last night examining a large number of seized laptops, telephones and electronic devices in a bid to assess the size and financial history of the prostitution and human trafficking gang targeted in a series of raids across the country yesterday.
Garda sources said the gang has been running a well-organised prostitution ring involving at least nine brothels and websites offering sexual services from a large number of foreign women.
Gardaí are checking the immigration status of foreign women found in nine brothels raided yesterday. At least some are believed to have been trafficked here by the Carlow-based gang at the centre of the investigation.
The PSNI, who arrested one woman yesterday as part of the investigation, said at least seven women have been rescued from prostitution in the North since Operation Abbey began several months ago. They are understood to come from Brazil, Nigeria and Namibia.
The UK's Serious and Organised Crime Agency, which carried out searches in England yesterday, said the operation underlined the fact that gangs could not regard England as a "soft environment".
Under Operation Abbey, gardaí are now running a two-pronged investigation. The first strand is aimed at bringing criminal charges against the Irish gang running the brothel and internet prostitution ring. The second strand involves tracking bank accounts in Ireland and property in Wales owned by the gang.
The internet sites identified have been used to advertise the women as "escorts", with many providing a call-out service for clients at hotels and other premises.
The brothels raided yesterday were visited by clients who paid for sexual services on the premises. Gardaí believe the gang has been operating for some time and that their cash and property assets run into millions of euro.
The seized laptops, phones and financial records will now be analysed by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) and computer analysts attached to the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation.
The UK's Serious and Organised Crime Agency will help the Cab to identify properties bought in Wales. As well as the properties raided here yesterday, searches were also carried out in the UK.
The head of the Garda Press Office, Supt John Gilligan, said the investigation involved UK crime-fighting agencies because the criminal activities were not confined to the Republic. "Significant amounts of money have been involved. We're seeing a level of involvement by criminal gangs in both this country and elsewhere."
Those behind the ring were "serious" criminals and the women were "vulnerable". The seven people arrested in Ireland were being detained at Garda stations in Athy, Carlow, Kildare, Naas, Kilkenny and Tullamore.
