Cash raised from criminals’ designer goods auction must go directly back to communities – Ahearn

The almost half a million euros raised this week in an online auction of confiscated high value goods must be reinvested into communities pulling together to tackle crime, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Fine Gael Senator Garret Ahearn said that the Criminal Assets Bureau’s (CAB) first advertised online auction of designer and luxury goods will boost the exchequer funds by almost €500,000 and this money should be distributed to enhance community safety projects.

“This was CAB’s first online auction and has proven to be a success, raising a huge amount of money from a range of items purchased by criminals with money that was clearly acquired through the proceeds of crime – be it through the sale or supply of drugs, theft, burglary, fraud or money laundering,” Senator Ahearn explained.

“CAB has been targeting the finances of criminal figures since it was first established by the then Fine Gael Minister for Justice Nora Owen in 1996. Opulent homes, cars and jewellery which have become the hallmark of criminal gangs who cannot hide their greed and appetite for designer goods and CAB has proven hugely successful in tracking and seizing these items – sending a clear message to criminals that they are constantly under surveillance, both by the authorities and their own communities, and that their ill-gotten gains may not be theirs for long.

“Building stronger safer communities is a combined effort, one that Fine Gael has consistently prioritised, as evidenced by CAB’s establishment and success rate – in 2022, €6.3m was forwarded to the exchequer’s fund through a combination of proceeds of crime, revenue and social protection seizures and discoveries.

“Communities have played their part too with the CAB, working with the authorities to report anyone who appears to be materially benefitting from crime and that is why they must be repaid for their efforts too,” Senator Ahearn continued.

“Minister for Justice Helen McEntee established the Community Safety Innovation Fund in April 2021 to use money seized by An Garda Síochána and the CAB as the proceeds of crime to fund innovative new projects to support community safety. The fund size has been increased to €3.75 million under Budget 2024 and is awarded to community groups or organisations to improve safety in their own areas.

“The almost €500,000 raised this week from CAB’s online auction must be ring-fenced within the exchequer’s Central Fund to go back into communities that continue to work hard to identify and call out criminal activities in their areas.”