Gerry Hutch to appear in Spanish court over money laundering investigation

Irish criminal Gerry Hutch and several other suspects were due to appear in court on the Spanish island of Lanzarote on Friday to face charges as a result of a lengthy criminal investigation into alleged money laundering.

Hutch (61) was among a group of people arrested in Lanzarote on Wednesday when ten searches were carried out by the Guardia Civil. Hutch’s home in Clontarf, north Dublin, was searched by the Garda on the same day, following a request from Spanish authorities.

Security sources said Hutch was expected to be one of 10 suspects to appear in court and they were expected to be brought before the court in Arecife. At least two of the suspects are Irish, Hutch and a close associate from Dublin, while others are Spanish and, reportedly, from Britain.

The criminal investigation, which has been ongoing for more than two years, is judicially led, meaning the way it is conducted is largely determined by the courts. As part of its management of the investigation, the court in Lanzarote has imposed a secrecy order, restricting the Guardia Civil in the public comments it can make.

That secrecy order could also extend to the entire case, or aspects of it, when the suspects appear in court on Friday.

Hutch has had strong ties to Lanzarote for many years and has effectively retired there, although he still spends time in his native Dublin. Spanish police are investigating an alleged attempt to launder money on the island by investing in or buying companies and acquiring property there, where Hutch has a house. The investigation resulted in a wave of searches in 2022, followed by additional searches this week.

Members of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation were in Lanzarote on Wednesday to support the Guardia Civil operation. At least one Spanish officer was also present in Dublin when Mr Hutch’s home was searched.

The search team in Dublin was supported by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) and the Emergency Response Unit. The searches in the Republic and by the Spanish police marked the final phase of a long-running criminal investigation.

In 2019, in evidence by Cab in the High Court – in a case against gang leader Liam Byrne – Mr Hutch was identified as the leader of what the agency described as ‘the Hutch organized crime group’ in Dublin. In the same evidence he was named as a key player on one side of the Kinahan-Hutch feud, with Byrne, Daniel Kinahan and Freddie Thompson on the other.

Mr Hutch has been linked to millions of armed robberies in the 1980s and 1990s. He previously settled with Cab after receiving a verdict of almost £2 million.

He was arrested in Fuengirola in 2021 to be extradited to the Republic on charges of the murder of David Byrne (34) at the Regency Hotel in Dublin in 2016. However, last year he was acquitted by the Special Criminal Court and has since divided his views time between Dublin and Lanzarote.