THE INTERNATIONAL dimension to organised crime gangs operating in Ireland was exposed last year following a massive crackdown by gardai on foreign gangs operating here.

They are involved in various criminal activity, including drug production and trafficking, robbery, human trafficking, prostitution, firearm offences and smuggling.

Gardai arrested large numbers of Asians last year involved in a multi-million euro network of cannabis grow houses across the country.
Gardai say Triad gangs, particularly the Wo Shing Wo, are heavily involved in cannabis production.

Eastern European and local gangs are also involved in the lucrative trade.

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said Irish gangs are becoming increasingly linked to foreign crime networks.
He said there are around 25 serious organised gangs in Ireland and some have links with international criminal networks in Holland, Spain and the UK.

"They remain the key locations for forging liaisons mainly due to established drug transportation routes," Callinan explained.

He said that Irish gangs located in those areas are part of East to West smuggling routes for weapons and drugs.
"Associations between Irish and Russian organised crime groups have also been observed.

They work together on drug and cigarette ventures. The presence of Russian organised crime groups in Spain is also influencing the activities of Irish criminals there."

He said five gangs operating in Ireland have significant with foreign-based gangs. The nation of these factors highlight Ireland is now firmly part of a network of organised crime gangs.

Gardai cracked down on some these global networks during the year with a series of raids on multi-million drugs operations. A key member of a
Triad gang was among those arrested as part of the crackdown.

Profits -

Commissioner Callinan said the upsurge in grow houses operated by foreign and local gangs in Ireland is of serious concern and significant profits can be made from their operation.
"They provide a very quick turnaround. If you can manage to secure safe lodging to grow your plants within eight weeks you are able to harvest these plants and begin their reproductive cycle," he said.

"Unless we catch up with these locations there is a conveyor belt of money available to these organised crime groups."

Some of the cannabis produced here is sold on the local market, while gangs also export quantities cultivated in Ireland to other countries.
As well as the Asian gangs involved in the growhouse trade, the Commissioner said a number of Eastern Europeans and local Irish gangs are involved.

The Wo Shing Wo gang are considered the main Triad gang operating in Ireland and are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion and prostitution.

They have a significant presence in Dublin and Cork and are suspected of involvement in a network of grow houses. They usually take people from Asian countries such as Vietnam to Ireland on the promise of regular work, before forcing them to work as gardeners in grow houses to payoff the cost of getting them to Ireland.

It is understood the gangs use violence and intimidation to prevent the trafficked gardeners from going to the authorities.

Another Triad gang operating here are the '14K' who are involved in similar activities.

There are strong links between the Triads operating in Ireland and their counter- parts in Scotland and England.

There are believed to be many incidents linked to the gangs, including kidnappings, extortions and even murder, but many are never brought to the attention of the public as those targeted are too scared to deal with gardai.

While in many cases Triads operate relatively under the radar, their violent activity is sometimes carried out in public.

Last year a Triad gang carried out a vicious attack that left two men with serious injuries in Dublin.
A group of six men attacked three other men on Capel Street, leaving a large pool of blood on the footpath where the attack occurred.

The men were believed to be armed with an array of weapons, including knives, a hammer and a machete-type weapon.

Murky -

The Sunday World has previously revealed that an Eastern European mobster dubbed 'the Emperor' is one of the most shadowy figures in Ireland's murky underworld.

He is a top-ranking gangster in a Romanian crime cartel with tentacles reaching around the globe.

He has many criminal interests such as human trafficking, prostitution, racketeering and widescale fraud.
He is described by those who know him as a "franchise holder" for Eastern European criminals in Ireland, with contacts in every area of the international criminal underworld.

The mob boss is one of a handful of gangsters who take a share of cash from foreign crime gangs operating in Ireland.