Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch due before Spanish court over money ...

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

Hutch (61) was among a group of people detained in Lanzarote on Wednesday, when 10 searches were carried out by the Guardia Civil. Hutch’s home in Clontarf, north Dublin, was searched by the Garda on the same day, after a request from the Spanish authorities.

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

The criminal investigation, which has been ongoing for more than two years, is judicial led, meaning the manner it is conducted is dictated in large part by the courts. As part of the management of the inquiry, a secrecy order has been imposed by the court in Lanzarote, resulting in the Guardia Civil being restricted in the public comments it can make.

That secrecy ruling may also extend to all, or aspects, of the case when the suspects appear before the courts on Friday.

Hutch has strong ties to Lanzarote, over many years, and has effectively retired there, though still spends time in his native Dublin. The Spanish police are investigating an alleged effort to launder money on the island by investing in, or buying, businesses as well as acquiring property there, where Hutch has a home. The inquiry resulted in a wave of searches in 2022, followed by the 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 Dublin search team was supported by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) and the Emergency Response Unit. The searches in the Republic and by the Spanish police were the latest phase of what is a long-running criminal investigation.

In 2019, in evidence by Cab to the High Court – in a case against gang leader Liam Byrne – Mr Hutch was identified as leading what the bureau described as “the Hutch organised crime group” in Dublin. In the same evidence, he was named as a key protagonist on one side of the Kinahan-Hutch feud, with Byrne, Daniel Kinahan, and Freddie Thompson on the opposing side.

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

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

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