Gerry Hutch is being held in Tenerife prison in connection with a money laundering investigation

The arrest of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch in connection with alleged money laundering offenses was described as ‘significant’ by gardaí at the weekend.

The 61-year-old is in jail after appearing in court Spain this week with eight others – including two Irish – following a long-running international money laundering investigation by the Hutch Organized Crime Group.

A statement from Spanish authorities said: ‘The judicial authority on duty in the judicial district of Arrecife de Lanzarote today recorded statements from nine people as alleged members of a gang of international criminals, who are being investigated as alleged perpetrators of money laundering crimes. in the context of a criminal organization.’

“The Investigating Magistrate ordered the pre-trial detention, communicated and without bail, of its two leaders and declared provisional release, with charges and precautionary measures for the other seven.”

“The investigation continues, it is not closed and the procedure is declared secret.”

HutchThe man’s arrest comes 18 months after his release from custody after being found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne by the Special Criminal Court.

“This arrest has been two years in the making and is seen as very significant,” an informed source told the Irish Mail on Sunday.”

Among those appearing in court in Spain were a close relative of Hutch, and legal and business people associated with or working for him. All nine were arrested earlier this week as part of a joint Irish and Spanish effort.

They appeared before a court in Arrecife, Lanzarote, on Friday, with the hearings taking some time as each of the nine has the right to have their case heard individually before the judge. The proceedings took place on camera without reporters present in the court.

The judge has imposed a confidentiality order on the case in Spain. The Spanish legal system is inquisitorial rather than adversarial, and the judge in the case is the primary investigator.

Formal charges through indictments have yet to be filed, but Hutch and the other suspects are now ‘investigators’ under Spanish law – which literally means they are ‘under investigation’ on suspicion of committing a crime.

The ongoing criminal investigation will be conducted privately and is expected to last several months.

Gardaí of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) are in Spain and have been working closely with the Guardia Civil, the lead agency in the case.

Gardaí searched the Hutch family home in Clontarf, in the north Dublinas part of the investigation, while the Guardia Civil carried out ten searches in Spain.

A Guardia Civil officer was present during the search in Dublin, while GNBCI officers accompanied Spanish police in their searches.

According to reports in the Canary Islands, around 50 officers from Tenerife and Aragon, in mainland Spain, have targeted several locations in Arrecife, as well as Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca.

Hutch regularly travels between Spain and Ireland. He has a house in Lanzarote and his close relative, who also appeared in court, has lived there for at least two years.

Gardaí say the operation is part of an ongoing partnership between the GNBCI and the Guardia Civil; no comment was received from the Guardia Civil in Spain due to the secrecy order.

As the legal proceedings are still ongoing, a spokesperson for the Canary Islands courts said he had no information at this time but may have it at a later date.

Additional reporting by Gerard Couzens.