Irish Aires News

IRA NO LONGER INVOLVED IN FUNDRAISING - REPORT

06/19/06 11:39 EST

A report outlining the rate of serious and organised crime

in Northern Ireland has found that the IRA is no longer

involved in fundraising.

The Organised Crime Task Force - a multi-agency group

including police, customs and excise; the Assets Recovery

Agency; and government ministers - estimates that £600

million (US$1 Billion) is raised annually in the North

through organised crime by both paramilitary and criminal gangs.

The content of the task force's annual report concurs with a

statement by the IRA last July in which the organisation

said its units were stood down and ordered to cease all

activity.

"The IRA, as an organisation, has stopped its involvement in

organised crime, although old habits die hard for some

individuals," a senior task force source said.

"Any money still being raised by either past or present IRA

members is not going towards its activities," he said.

"Loyalists, however, remain actively involved in all forms

of organised crime, particularly drug-dealing."

The task force said the main areas of concern included fuel

smuggling along the Border, illegal dumping,

money-laundering, extortion, drug dealing and armed robbery.

The British government believes that up to two-thirds of

organised crime networks are paramilitary-linked.

The report found that loyalist paramilitaries continue to

deal drugs and run a series of other money-spinning scams

including counterfeiting, money lending and armed robbery.

The report also said that dissident republican groups have

used the proceeds from shifting contraband goods, robbery

and intellectual property crime to fund attacks on British

security forces.

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