Gang linked to Sligo mobster Barry Young targeted in raids in Spain

Officers from the Criminal Assets Bureau were also involved in the searches in Alicante which targeted the organised crime group.

The raids were carried out in a joint operation involving Spain’s Policía Nacional and the Garda’s National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The Sunday World can reveal the target of the searches was an international drugs gang with ties to crime boss Barry Young.

Earlier this month, Young pleaded guilty to directing a criminal organisation and is currently behind bars awaiting sentencing.

In a statement on their social media channels today, An Garda Siochana wrote:

“As part of an ongoing investigation targeting organised crime in Sligo, we worked with our Spanish colleagues @policia on a number of searches in Alicante.

“Sligo Gardaí are being supported by @criminalassets and our National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.”

Young (37), who is currently in custody in Portlaoise Prison, pleaded guilty to directing a criminal organisation at the Special Criminal Court this month after a lengthy career as a significant gangland player.

Young admitted to running a crime gang between 2019 and 2022 within and outside the State. The drug dealer had also lived between the north west and Spain.

A convicted drug dealer, Young is regarded as one of the biggest players on the drug scene outside Ireland with ties to major gangs including the ‘Mr Big’ network in Dublin.

Young muscled in on the lucrative turf of Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim and his network of dealers took control and even managed to bribe a disgraced garda to leak sensitive information over a five-month period.

Former Garda Jimell Henry was jailed for 18 months after she accessed the force’s Pulse system from her base in Sligo and passed on ‘details’ to Young’s crew in Sligo. A court heard she had become compromised by a drug habit.

Young was a close associate of Mark ‘Guinea Pig’ Desmond for years and the West Dublin enforcer moved to Sligo to work as a heavy before his murder in a Lucan park in December 2016.

It is understood that Young had worked hard to stay at arm’s length from the law, rarely staying in the one place for very long and using counter-surveillance techniques.

But like many wealthy criminals before him he got lazy and thought that he was untouchable, resorting to doing business on his ordinary smartphone through WhatsApp.

It is understood that the weight of evidence against him sparked him to plead guilty to the heavy charge which can carry up to life imprisonment. He will be sentenced in May.

On 10 March, Young, with an address of Geldof Drive, Cranmore, Co Sligo, was charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 4, 2019 and January 15, 2022, both dates inclusive, both within and outside the state.

Fiona Murphy SC, for the State, said the DPP consented to Mr Young being arraigned on section 14 of the indictment without prejudice.

The 37-year-old replied "guilty" when the charge was put to him by the registrar.

Michael Bowman SC, for the accused, asked for a date of May 9th for the matter to come before the court again.

He also requested that legal aid be extended to cover the cost of a report from a counsellor Young had been seeing before going into custody. Mr Justice Tony Hunt acceded to this request.

Ms Murphy said a trial date of April 17th had been fixed and this could now be vacated.

The accused was remanded in custody to May 9th.