Large Nigerian gang in Ireland involved in worldwide money laundering

dav3 · 07-09-2018 09:03AM

It looks like they're not very good money launderers.

corks finest · 07-09-2018 09:03AM

Kivaro wrote: »

You might have seen in the news yesterday the story about the large Nigerian money-laundering network operating in Ireland. It was the scope of the operation that surprised me.

A Nigerian national living in Ireland was the leader of the gang and he recruited over 100 fellow Nigerian nationals in Ireland to launder money which has been stolen in invoice redirection frauds from companies in Ireland and all around Europe. 15 homes in 5 counties across the country were raided by over 100 Gardai and high-priced items like Nissan X-Trail SUVs were removed from these premises. Gardaí have asked the banks in Ireland to close around 350 accounts suspected of being used in the fraud.
When describing the suspects in the case, the Garda Superintendent said that "Some of these people are working, some are on social welfare."

There are a number of questions to be asked when you read about the details of the case, for example, why were they no arrests made knowing that the Nigerian suspects who could easily abscond, and what is the situation with the Irish bank accounts of the non-nationals?

Watching the 6.1 RTE news yesterday, there was not one mention of the word "Nigerian/Nigeria"; they kept saying West African gang. I wonder if it is the same on the RTE website? I gave up on that site a long time ago because of their weird bias on news.
More information on the story can be found here.

Tip of the iceberg, Nigerian lady living opposite me,good Christian woman, involved in halfway house for ppl with addiction problems stated to me years ago that majority of her fellow countrymen here are scamners/ or involved in criminality,,,yet our own Irish don't care,or feel powerless to deal with it,taken the law years to act

Irish Stones · 07-09-2018 09:05AM

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

I thought the rule was you have to claim asylum in the first “safe country” you arrive into and as far as I know there’s no direct flights between here and Nigeria and never was.

This!

The first safe country to land in and claim asylum in is Italy, or Spain.
Italy has gotten some 700,000 migrants from Africa and Middle East in the last 4 years. The Italian governemt keeps complaining that Europe has to take its share, it's a mantra, in everyday news.

I'm against this. Let's Keep Europe out of this. Those migrants come to Italy, they have to stay in Italy, no redistribution to other European countries.
Italy doesn't want them here? Well, they shouldn't gather those migrants from the sea in the first place.

I'm Italian.

About 7 years ago I was on holiday in Ireland. I wanted to visit an old graveyard in the countryside, just outside Carlow Town. It happens that this graveyard is behind a business park, or something like that.
I was directed behind those buildings by a local, but when I was at the edge of the site, I found a cabin, the last "office" before the path to the graveyard.

Well, while I was walking past this cabin, a black man came out and blocked me and asked me what I was doing there. I told him I was going to the graveyard. He asked me to follow him and led me inside the cabin where a dozen of men just like him were sat around a table, doing nothing.
They blocked the door and questioned me, in a very bad English, what I was doing there. They didn't believe the story of the graveyard and kept asking me the same question over and over.

I can't deny I was scared to death. They were looking each other as to say "What are we going to do with him?".
Then they closed the question by simply telling me that no graveyard was nearby and they "kindly" led me out to my car.

I don't know what kind of business they were running in that cabin, but apart from that table, some chairs and a closet, I didn't see anything else.
I went there again two years later, and the cabin wasn't there anymore. And I was able to visit the graveyard.

Whether they were Nigerian or else, I don't know, but clearly they were trying to hide something!

Beware of the migrants you accept in your country. We have serious problems over here, I can tell you from experience!

Will I Am Not · 07-09-2018 09:08AM

Do they teach fraud as a subject in Nigerian schools or something? When I first heard this story on the news, before any nationality was mentioned, I immediately thought... “Nigerian”.

Kivaro · 07-09-2018 09:35AM

looksee wrote: »

When we wanted to open an additional bank account (additional to the current and savings accounts we had) with Bank of Ireland both my husband and myself had to present ourselves - even though he was long term sick - at the bank where we had been regular customers for some 20 years. Both of us had to have passports and individual evidence of residence, even though the bank official knew us both from years of contact.

When my daughter came back from the UK where she had been a student/working for some 5 years she had to have proof of residence and as far as I recall proof of having lived here previously. She ended up going to the credit union and reviving a dormant account showing her address as the same as mine (childhood home), using this as evidence in the bank, opening an account then getting it transferred to where she was living. If she had not happened to have this dormant account I cannot see how she would have managed to get established here.

She could not get funds (rent deposit for one) transferred from the UK until she had this in place. She had no entitlement to any social services support for 6 months. She could not get accommodation without a bank account, and vice versa. It was pretty much impossible to function without a bank account and an address. I can't remember all the details but it is hard to see how someone coming into the country can just get a bank account and function as a resident.
What is the point in annoying the rest of us with all these detailed rules and regulations if people can just come in and do as they please? Will there be any sort of enquiry as to how they got the bank accounts they were using for nefarious purposes?

A very good friend of mine had a similar problem returning home after spending years abroad. He said that it was like the Spanish Inquisition for him to set up a bank account at Bank of Ireland. The man was born and bred in Ireland ................ with a brogue, red hair and freckles, and still he was viewed with suspicion. He felt he had done something wrong. It took him a number of trips to the bank to get the account set up.

One of the questions in my original post asked about the bank accounts. Around 350 accounts were set up by the Nigerian gang, which led me to think about the ease that the non-nationals had setting up these accounts. The deeper point I am making is that Irish people are so afraid of being called racist in these situations, that the non-nationals in this case had no problem setting up their accounts. The Irish media and many Irish politicians have instilled the fear that if you dare to question anything relating to migrants, especially those with a different colour, then you are a racist. This fear has an affect on personnel working in social welfare offices, council housing offices, post offices, banks etc. It is a lot easier on them if they accept what migrants are telling them.

CeilingFly · 07-09-2018 10:10AM

weldoninhio wrote: »

You do know that "Irish travellers" don't necessarily come from Ireland. Much the same way not all Roma are Romanian.

the gangs currently causing untold havoc in UK, Holland, Belgium and Germany are born and bred in Ireland and only recently moved to terrorise people in other countries due to the garda Thor operation

Absolutely throw the book at the nigerian crew and confiscate all assets (CAB can do this) and send them packing. But remember there are plenty of Irish criminal gangs causing havoc in other countries - seems we don't get worked up on that though?

Wibbs · 07-09-2018 10:36AM

CeilingFly wrote: »

Absolutely throw the book at the nigerian crew and confiscate all assets (CAB can do this) and send them packing. But remember there are plenty of Irish criminal gangs causing havoc in other countries - seems we don't get worked up on that though?

So we don't get worked up over Traveler criminality and gangs terrorising people, particularly elderly people across Ireland and ripping off the social welfare system? Really? Eh... we do. On these pages a lot more than Nigerian gangs.

Giraffe Box · 07-09-2018 10:42AM

Irish Stones wrote: »

This!

The first safe country........

Well, while I was walking past this cabin, a black man came out and blocked me and asked me what I was doing there. I told him I was going to the graveyard. He asked me to follow him and led me inside the cabin where a dozen of men just like him were sat around a table, doing nothing.

I can't deny I was scared to death. They were looking each other as to say "What are we going to do with him?".

.....

Beware of the migrants you accept in your country. We have serious problems over here, I can tell you from experience!

It was probably just a regional meeting - Nigerian expats - of the 'Hell Fire Club' (non chiedere!). Did you by any chance espy a cloven hoof?
If yes, then you really should have rang the Garda Síochána - they're our 'Carabinieri', though slightly less stylish looking - and told them of your terrifying experience.

Anyway, I sincerely hope that you never have to undergo such a harrowing ordeal again in our wonderful country. Please don't tell your friends back home.
Bye for now, or should that be....... Ciao!

marklazarcovic · 07-09-2018 10:51AM

Look at the fraud documentaries on YouTube and you get a scale of the amount committed in the UK alone. Let people in to help them,they rip you off..yes I know there are criminals born in every country..does not mean we should accept anymore in..

Zero tolerance imo.. if you defraud,or intentionally commit a crime then you should be shipped out of any country that was kind enough to take you in.

Regardless where you come from.

Star Bingo · 07-09-2018 12:28PM

Irish Stones wrote: »

Beware of the migrants you accept in your country. We have serious problems over here, I can tell you from experience!

But how do we prevent it as long as the EU is facilitating these traffickers with its programme of population replacement.

Any dissenters get shut down, as soon as Hermann Kelly brought up the sensitive subject of migration last night he was labelled racist whilst Eamon Numpty shouted “no! it’s un-irish”. Matt Cooper cut to the break with a “we won’t be having you back on”. You’re not allowed to voice any concerns or your vocal chords are severed

Irish Stones · 07-09-2018 12:36PM

Giraffe Box wrote: »

It was probably just a regional meeting - Nigerian expats - of the 'Hell Fire Club' (non chiedere!). Did you by any chance espy a cloven hoof?
If yes, then you really should have rang the Garda Síochána - they're our 'Carabinieri', though slightly less stylish looking - and told them of your terrifying experience.

Anyway, I sincerely hope that you never have to undergo such a harrowing ordeal again in our wonderful country. Please don't tell your friends back home.
Bye for now, or should that be....... Ciao!

Hi Giraffe Box,
My compliments on your Italian words! It seems you have been here some times.
Yes, I know what the Hell Fire Club is/was. I also visited the haunting building on Montpelier Hill

And I also know what the Garda is, and though yours might be less stylish looking, it isn't certain that they are less effective. In my little experience I found out that Garda is more friendly than our Carabinieri.
No, thanks God, I've never had another similar experience in your truly wonderful country. I've visited Ireland 20 times so far (and I wish I 'll be able to go there several times in the future), and I usually deal with locals, that are, as you already know, absolutely lovely and welcoming. I've never had the slightest problem with you Irish.
And of course I never told anybody about that episode.

Anyway, over here we have all kind of nationalities, and two thirds of the crimes committed here are to be ascribed to foreigners, mainly Romanians, former USSR regions, Albanians, Nigerians and other central African countries, Moroccans.
The main crimes are rapes (70% committed by Africans), drug dealing (Africans and Eastern Europeans), ATM tampering and credita card frauds (Romanians).
That's why I am against the redistribution of migrants to other countries. Why should other countries be facing the same problems as we are?

DChancer · 07-09-2018 12:45PM

Irish Stones wrote: »

Hi Giraffe Box,
M

Anyway, over here we have all kind of nationalities, and two thirds of the crimes committed here are to be ascribed to foreigners,

I call bullsiht on that claim!
You have verified source evidence that 66% of crimes in Italy are committed by foreigners??

begbysback · 07-09-2018 12:53PM

CeilingFly wrote: »

the gangs currently causing untold havoc in UK, Holland, Belgium and Germany are born and bred in Ireland and only recently moved to terrorise people in other countries due to the garda Thor operation

Spoken with an air of certainty, you have a source of course, please add here

Irish Stones · 07-09-2018 01:07PM

It was on news some nights ago.

wakka12 · 07-09-2018 01:23PM

VonZan wrote: »

Why isn't it relevant? It's very relevant. Don't you think a foreign gang being allowed to enter, reside and steal money in Ireland and elsewhere is not an issue?

Some people are away with the fairies.

They weren't allowed, hence the home raids

Rubberchikken · 07-09-2018 01:27PM

Just deport them. Let their own country deal with their crap.

Hoboo · 07-09-2018 01:32PM

Irish Stones wrote: »

It was on news some nights ago.

And if its on the news it must be true.

Avatar MIA · 07-09-2018 01:35PM

Hoboo wrote: »

And if its on the news it must be true.

Donald, that you?

seamus · 07-09-2018 01:37PM

Kivaro wrote: »

There are a number of questions to be asked when you read about the details of the case, for example, why were they no arrests made knowing that the Nigerian suspects who could easily abscond,

They're still entitled to due process like any other person. Certain standards need to be met before an arrest can be carried out.

No arrests, also doesn't mean that other restrictions haven't been enacted, such as confiscating passports, etc.

and what is the situation with the Irish bank accounts of the non-nationals?

Foreign nationals can get an Irish bank account. We also don't know how many of these aren't Irish citizens.

Avatar MIA wrote: »

The last thing we need is a 100 Nigerian Princes banged up, costing us a fortune. Deport them.

I'd personally rather than people served their sentences before being deported. If you discovered that you could go to a foreign country, get involved in multi-million euro scam and the worst thing they'd do is send you home, you'd probably be tempted.

Just deporting them is a good way to make us a magnet for scammers and criminals.

Hoboo · 07-09-2018 01:45PM

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Donald, that you?

Fake post

Giraffe Box · 07-09-2018 02:10PM

Irish Stones wrote: »

Hi Giraffe Box,
My compliments on your Italian words! It seems you have been here some times.
Yes, I know what the Hell Fire Club is/was. I also visited the haunting building on Montpelier Hill
And I also know what the Garda is, and though yours might be less stylish looking, it isn't certain that they are less effective. In my little experience I found out that Garda is more friendly than our Carabinieri.
No, thanks God, I've never had another similar experience in your truly wonderful country. I've visited Ireland 20 times so far (and I wish I 'll be able to go there several times in the future), and I usually deal with locals, that are, as you already know, absolutely lovely and welcoming. I've never had the slightest problem with you Irish.
And of course I never told anybody about that episode.

Anyway, over here we have all kind of nationalities, and two thirds of the crimes committed here are to be ascribed to foreigners, mainly Romanians, former USSR regions, Albanians, Nigerians and other central African countries, Moroccans.
The main crimes are rapes (70% committed by Africans), drug dealing (Africans and Eastern Europeans), ATM tampering and credita card frauds (Romanians).
That's why I am against the redistribution of migrants to other countries. Why should other countries be facing the same problems as we are?

That's such a shame. It seems from the information given in your post that Italy would be virtually crime-free if it weren't for those pesky foreigners.
I was labouring under the massive misapprehension that the Italian mafia, who brought murder, mayhem and havoc across your country and indeed the USA, was, for the most part, made up of native Italians.
Though from what you tell me, it would have been far more realistic if the characters in 'The Godfather' films named Vito Corleone and Luca Brasi, played by Marlon Brando and Lenny Montana respectively, were in fact called Ayobami Adebayo and Toluwalase Okafor.
Who'd have thought it eh?
That Mario Puzo must be some spoofer, or 'bugiardo'.

Ciao for now!

Kivaro · 07-09-2018 02:19PM

seamus wrote: »

They're still entitled to due process like any other person. Certain standards need to be met before an arrest can be carried out.

No arrests, also doesn't mean that other restrictions haven't been enacted, such as confiscating passports, etc.

Yes, I believe that the majority of us are aware of that. There was no mention of passport confiscation, which is why there is concern they can flee the country. We would hope that at least the leader of the gang; a Nigerian national living in Ireland, is being monitored.

seamus wrote: »

Foreign nationals can get an Irish bank account. We also don't know how many of these aren't Irish citizens.

A number of people have reported the difficulty of Irish citizens getting bank accounts recently. One would have to wonder if the same rigors were applied to these Nigerian and West Africans.
The report states at least 101 Nigerian nationals are involved. It is a possibility that some of them are also Irish citizens, which begs many other questions.

seamus wrote: »

I'd personally rather than people served their sentences before being deported. If you discovered that you could go to a foreign country, get involved in multi-million euro scam and the worst thing they'd do is send you home, you'd probably be tempted.

Just deporting them is a good way to make us a magnet for scammers and criminals.

I totally agree with you.
A prison sentence should not only be for punishment. In this case, it should be seen as a deterrent. It is well known around the planet how soft Ireland is on crime. It is about time, the Irish "justice" system started dishing out prison sentences for these types of crimes.
Otherwise there will such an increase in activity by Eastern European, Nigerian and Roma gangs in Ireland that it will reduce our quality of life to an intolerable level.

seamus · 07-09-2018 02:34PM

Kivaro wrote: »

There was no mention of passport confiscation, which is why there is concern they can flee the country.

The Gardai are never going to report on the minutiae of what was done. "No arrests, investigations are ongoing", is about as far as they can say. Getting het up because you don't have enough information about what occurred is fairly pointless. You could always contact the Garda press office to find out if there's anything more to report?

A number of people have reported the difficulty of Irish citizens getting bank accounts recently.

Have they? The conditions required to get a bank account haven't changed in a number of years, so it's not getting more difficult to get an account.

That in itself might be the issue, since many younger people won't have paper utility bills in their own name. But that doesn't mean getting a bank account is difficult or has become more difficult.

listermint · 07-09-2018 02:44PM

Theres a weird assertion here that seems to think that these guys couldnt have just got a local irish person to set an account up for them and then used it.

Its crime lads, its not as simple as 'Sure look at these lads coming in here getting it all handy' 'My family had trouble opening an account'

Kivaro · 07-09-2018 02:45PM

seamus wrote: »

The Gardai are never going to report on the minutiae of what was done. "No arrests, investigations are ongoing", is about as far as they can say. Getting het up because you don't have enough information about what occurred is fairly pointless. You could always contact the Garda press office to find out if there's anything more to report?
Have they? The conditions required to get a bank account haven't changed in a number of years, so it's not getting more difficult to get an account.

That in itself might be the issue, since many younger people won't have paper utility bills in their own name. But that doesn't mean getting a bank account is difficult or has become more difficult.

Seamus, your level of condescension has really increased in the last 50,000 or so posts. I don't recall you being like that in the early days.

You are ignoring other posts on this thread about getting an Irish bank account in the last few years. It has indeed become much more difficult.
And I will not be contacting the Garda press office for more information. It seems that I am not the one who is getting "het up" on this topic. Some posters just don't like any information like this ongoing case getting into the public domain.

DChancer · 07-09-2018 03:05PM

Irish Stones wrote: »

It was on news some nights ago.

Ha ha ha lol
Thars funny
Less credible than I heard from a drunk in the jacks but funny

per aspera ad astra · 07-09-2018 03:10PM

This post has been deleted. – (said in a Nigerian accent).

seamus · 07-09-2018 03:21PM

Kivaro wrote: »

You are ignoring other posts on this thread about getting an Irish bank account in the last few years. It has indeed become much more difficult.

It has become more difficult than the 1980s when anyone could get a bank account because "Ah shure, yeah it's yer man".

The rules haven't changed much in 10 years. A couple of anecdotes on this thread about people who didn't have any documentation and assumed they could open an account because, "Shure amn't I Irish?", doesn't really qualify.

Anyone who has the appropriate documentation can get a bank account. It doesn't matter if you're Irish or Nigerian or Malaysian.

I'm guessing your implication is that they must have had help from someone on the inside to set up these bank accounts, but the reality is that setting up an account is not difficult once you have the documentation - authentic or otherwise.

A bank official is not going to know the difference between a real or fake Nigerian passport. Or be able to tell whether a Bord Gais bill is real or a good quality fake. They'll just scan it, file it, and open the account.

And I will not be contacting the Garda press office for more information. It seems that I am the one who is getting "het up" on this topic. Some posters just don't like any information like this ongoing case getting into the public domain.

You say you're concerned they might flee the country. But you're hardly going to be the only one who's thought of this. Don't you think that the Gardai would do everything they can to prevent this?
Don't assume that what's been reported is everything there is to know. The Gardai involved have been working on this for months before you became aware of it. They want these guys to go on the run far less than you do.

Your Face · 07-09-2018 03:27PM

It would be nice if we had system law breakers were brought to justice.
I don't care about what demographic they fall into.

jester77 · 07-09-2018 03:38PM

Kivaro wrote: »

When describing the suspects in the case, the Garda Superintendent said that "Some of these people are working, some are on social welfare."

I think I may know them

Large Nigerian gang in Ireland involved in worldwide money laundering

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