ADDENDUM TO ORGANIZED CRIME IN IRELAND REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 001567 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2014 TAGS: PINR PREL PTER EI SUBJECT: ADDENDUM TO ORGANIZED CRIME IN IRELAND REPORT (C-CN5-00417) REF: A. SECSTATE 146246 ¶B. DUBLIN 1196 Classified By: POL/ECON CHIEF MARY DALY, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B),(D) ¶1. (C) Per ref A's request for continued information on organized crime elements in Ireland, Post offers the following updates from police sources who were available for comment after the drafting of ref B: ¶2. (C) Irish police report Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, and West African involvement in various organized criminal activity in Ireland. Per ref B, each national group tends to interact primarily within its own ethnic community in Ireland. Russians -------------- ¶A. According to the police, Russian owned companies in Canada conduct suspect financial banking and insurance transactions in Moldova and manufacture government documents for the Republic of Moldova. These companies are registered in Ireland with Russian and Moldovan employees. Chinese -------------- ¶B. Irish police intelligence reports that members of two Triad Gangs, the Wo Shin Wo and the 14K operate in Ireland. According to the police, the Chinese tend to be active within their community and not draw public attention. Their community participation is allegedly in casinos, trafficking women, and money laundering through restaurants and properties. Police report a great deal of interaction between the Chinese in Ireland and the Chinese in Scotland. The police also report 'many incidents' with Chinese nationals' involvement in kidnappings, extortion and even murder within their own community. These are rarely brought to the attention of the public and local Chinese tend not to cooperate with police investigations. West Africans -------------- ¶C. The Irish police report that West African criminal gangs predominantly operate in the areas of drug trafficking, immigration offenses, credit card fraud and phone fraud. Police intelligence suspects that Ireland is a destination country for drug importation (mostly cocaine) organized by Nigerian criminals. Cocaine is brought in by air, using couriers who tend to frequently bring in small amounts. Police also maintain suspicion that drugs may transit Ireland en route to the UK. ¶D. Irish police report that among the West African organized criminals, they see forged documents and multiple identities, used to facilitate both drug trafficking and illegal immigration. For example, one Nigerian was arrested and found to have four false driving licenses, five bank accounts and at least 10 aliases. He applied for political asylum four times in different names. ¶E. Of great concern to the Irish authorities is the potential exploitation of links between the UK and Ireland. In particular, police are concerned that criminals use ferries between the two countries to smuggle drugs and immigrants. They report several instances of Nigerians and other West Africans attempting to enter the UK from Ireland at ferry ports, notably Stranraer, Scotland. ¶3. (C) Post would also note that the IRA's decommissioning in 2005 advances the peace process and the chances for a permanent political solution to the problems of Northern Ireland. However, it also means that even if the organization is entering a new mode, individuals with experience in organized crime and terrorism remain in the Republic and may be involved in some of the gangland shootings in 2005. ¶4. (C) Per ref A, the police report that there is little intelligence that any relationships exist between the above-mentioned groups and Irish organized crime. Likewise, there is no intelligence that these groups cooperate among themselves, or that they are linked to terrorist groups in Ireland. There is no evidence of corrupt relationships between these groups and Irish businessmen or government officials. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit Dublin's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/dublin/index. cfm BENTON