The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) will increase its focus on criminals operating in rural and regional areas in 2021, after exceeding its goals in a productive 2020.
The CAB is currently investigating a total of 1,724 targets across the country which is almost double the figure from the end of 2018 when the bureau investigated a total of 973 targets.
Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins, who is Chief Bureau Officer, has revealed that it had submitted more than 30 proceeds of crime applications to the High Court this year.
This is despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic which curtailed the activities of the bureau during the first lockdown.
The CAB employs 93 people at its head office and saw its budget increased this year by 10pc to €9.1m.
It utilises a network of local asset profilers, who are recruited from every Garda division and are tasked with identifying local criminals and then sending a report on them to the bureau’s intelligence analysis unit.
“We have targets in every county, we work closely with every Garda division. It is not headlines we are looking for, we feel we have a duty to the community and this is why we bring cases against even the smaller time criminals. It can be very important sometimes to nip something in the bud,” he said.