Garda prosecutions for money laundering reflect the surging demand for physical and digital networks to wash dirty money, with court case numbers jumping from 344 in 2020 to 831 in 2024. The total number of reported fraud incidents, meanwhile, rose from just below 8,000 in 2020 to almost 11,500 in 2024 — a rise of over 40%. Ireland’s National Risk Assessment 2026 said the European drugs market is “immense” in its scale and estimated by the EU to be worth over €30bn every year. “Ireland
has over 3,000 kilometres of coastline and this, combined with its strategic Atlantic position, makes Ireland an ideal entry point and transit route for international drug-smuggling operations,” the report said. It said many of the drugs smuggled into Ireland are for nearby markets, including the UK and mainland Europe. The NRA said quantifying the amount coming into Ireland is difficult, but cited a number of high-profile cases, including the 2.3 tonnes of cocaine, worth €157m, seized from the MV Matthew off the Cork coast in
September 2023. It said synthetic drugs are an “emerging concern”, with production hubs in the likes of Belgium and the Netherlands. It added: “Ireland could start to see the emergence of local synthetic drug manufacturing, as the raw materials required for production become more available.” The report said traditional money-laundering techniques remain widely used, including cash-intensive businesses, cash couriers, and money mules. Bank figures indicate that nearly €44m was laundered in money-mule accounts between 2021 and 2024, with nearly 9,000 money-mule cases identified in 2024.
The NRA said human trafficking is the second-most widespread illegal trade globally and that Ireland is “increasingly recognised” as a destination country, particularly because of its economic opportunities and as a transit route to the UK. It said that online sexual exploitation of children is an “increasingly concerning element” in Ireland’s human trafficking, as it is a destination country for such material. People can pay between €75 and €200 for the abusive imagery. In relation to bribery and corruption, the report said An Garda Síochána
estimates the total value of such alleged behaviour in open investigations is approximately €40m. It said Irish entities operating in the “natural resources” sector are particularly vulnerable to corruption. As of December 2025, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau was managing 15 “active investigations”, including four cases of offenders based abroad, the NRA added.
money laundering, Garda, prosecutions, fraud incidents, National Risk Assessment 2026, drugs market, cocaine MV Matthew, money mules, human trafficking, bribery and corruption, Garda National Economic Crime Bureau