Gerry Hutch, a noteworthy convict from Dublin, is predicted by Irish police to seek bail following his detention in Lanzarote, a Spanish island. However, there’s an expectation it may result in him facing several months in jail.
Last Friday, Hutch, who is in his early sixties, was amongst nine individuals brought before a court in Lanzarote due to their alleged association with a suspected gang-financed money laundering scheme. Two of those held, including Hutch, were detained, whilst the remainder were granted bail.
The expectation is that Hutch will soon request bail. However, whether he will achieve temporal freedom remains uncertain, according to law enforcement sources. This uncertainty stems from the comprehensive ongoing two-year investigation, along with Hutch’s past efforts to elude Spanish arrest, which may confluent into arguments by authorities against the provision of bail.
In early 2021, Dublin courts issued a European arrest warrant for Hutch as he was required to face trial for the 2016 murder of David Byrne at Dublin’s Regency Hotel. Despite leaving Lanzarote in the same year, suspicion exists that he was warned of impending arrest and extradition. His whereabouts remained uncertain until August 2021, where he was finally apprehended in Malaga before being- extradited to Ireland.
Despite facing trial with the Special Criminal Court for Byrne’s murder, Hutch was absolved last year and was set free after spending 20 months detained in Spanish and Irish prisons. His time since releasing has mostly been spent in Lanzarote, with occasional periods in Dublin.
In a recent event last Wednesday, the Spanish Guardia Civil executed 10 searches in Spain, including Hutch’s Lanzarote residence, resulting in the arrest of Hutch and nine more suspects. The individuals are thought to be involved with a money laundering operation in Spain, allegedly conducted by a global criminal syndicate, according to Spanish law enforcement.
Gardaí have carried out raids on the homes of Mr Hutch in Clontarf, North Dublin and Lanzarote following a plea for aid from Spanish law enforcement. The initial phase of these search operations were carried out in Spain in 2022. The ongoing inquiry suggests that profits derived from criminal activities have been laundered through various businesses and real estate deals in Spain, particularly in Lanzarote, a location where Hutch has established strong bonds and has owned property for durations.
Several high profile criminals, including the Kinahan cartel members, have been apprehended in Spain and faced allegations of participating in illicit enterprises. While their detentions stretched over several months, they eventually obtained bail and as a result, the majority of accusations against them were eventually dismissed.
A case in point is that of Christy Kinahan Snr, the patriarch of the Kinahan cartel, and his offspring, Daniel and Christopher Jnr. Their arrests occurred in the southern parts of Spain in 2010 under Operation Shovel, a crusade against drug trafficking, money laundering, and illegal firearms amongst other offences.
Despite initially being denied bail, the Kinahan family eventually achieved their release after enduring seven months of imprisonment, accompanied by the gradual dismissal of their serious indictments.
Fast forward to last June, news surfaced that a significant player in the global Kinahan cartel, as designated by American law enforcement, Johnny Morrissey had acquired his liberty from a Spanish prison after satisfying a €60,000 bail. Morrissey had been detained in September 2022 leading up to investigations on accusations of him laundering money for the cartel.