Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 3725Money laundering, fraud (organised crime) · 24 Feb 2026

Gardaí seize Black Axe gang merchandise in 11-location Operation Skein raids

Gardaí raided 11 locations across the country on 24 February 2026 as part of Operation Skein, targeting the Black Axe (Neo Black Movement) international organised crime gang, and seized gang affiliation merchandise including caps, medals, ties, electronic devices, and a copy of the gang's constitution believed to be the first found by a western police force.

  1. Reported24 Feb
  2. Arrested
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
12 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatGardaí found gang affiliation clothing and memorabilia during the raids. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe gang is also known as the Neo Black Movement (NBM). (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe gang originated in Africa. (irishtimes.com)
  • what1,400 potential suspects have been identified to date, with 636 arrests. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMore than 300 suspects have been charged with gangland offences and money laundering. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatSecurity sources believe it is the first time the constitution document has been found by a police force in a western country. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatMerchandise seized included caps, medals, and ties. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe GNECB was supported by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau and local uniform and detective units. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe gang initially specialised in laundering money via the Irish banking system after it was stolen abroad. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe gang is now primarily focused on taking over bank accounts of unsuspecting victims via bogus texts purporting to come from pillar banks. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe GNECB works with law-enforcement partners across several jurisdictions and is supported by Europol and Interpol. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe raids took place at 11 locations in Sligo, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Kilkenny, Kildare, and Meath. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 24 Feb2026
    Reportedirishtimes.com, first report
    Gardaí seize merchandise associated with international organised crime gang

    First report of the 24 February 2026 Operation Skein raids targeting the Black Axe/NBM gang, detailing the merchandise and documents seized and providing cumulative statistics on the wider investigation.