Police in Spain have arrested a close associate of Gerry Hutch as part of an international organised crime investigation.
The Irish man was arrested by the Guardia Civil on foot of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Irish authorities.
It is expected he will appear before the Spanish high court in the coming days in advance of a potential extradition back to Ireland to face charges.
It follows a lengthy investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) and Spanish authorities into organised crime activity in Ireland and abroad, and links between serving gardaí and serious criminals.
RM Block
Gerry Hutch, a veteran criminal who is also known as The Monk, is also separately under investigation by Spanish police.
Detectives are examining allegations of large scale money laundering through the use of properties in Spain. They are also investigating allegations that gardaí improperly passed confidential information to serious organised criminals.
Hutch has announced he will run in the upcoming Dàil byelection in Dublin Central. He narrowly missed out on a seat in the 2024 general election.
Hutch, who spends much of his time in Spain, is under investigation by Spanish authorities for alleged money laundering. He was one of nine people arrested in 2024 following a joint investigation by the Guardia Civil and the NBCI.
Spanish police said the case concerns “alleged members of a gang of international criminals who are being investigated as alleged perpetrators of money laundering crimes by a criminal organisation”.
Hutch was subsequently released on bail pending an evaluation of the case by a Spanish magistrate.
