More than €12m moved by Irish money mules

More than €12m (£10.4m) was transferred illegally in the first six months of the year through so-called "money mule" accounts in the Republic of Ireland.

A money mule is a person who allows their account to be used for the transfer of someone else's stolen or illegal money.

The Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) found that about 3,000 accounts were used for the practice from January until June.

That was almost double the figure for the same period last year.

The majority of the accounts that were used belonged to people aged between 18 and 24.

However some belonged to people as young as 15.

Gardaí (Irish police) said: "Vulnerable people such as those who are new to the country, students, people who are unemployed or under financial pressure are also likely to be targeted.

"Those who purchase illegal drugs may be offered to pay off their drug debt by becoming a money mule."

The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau estimated that were are at least 4,000 money mules linked to its investigations who have used Irish addresses.

It said the vast majority were young people and it warned university students against becoming a money mule.

Det Supt Michael Cryan said that while it could seem a simple and lucrative thing to do, anyone allowing their accounts to be used would be taking a "huge personal risk".

"They are in essence assisting ruthless criminals involved in human trafficking, people smuggling, terrorism and even wars," he said.

"An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force) is sending this warning because it isn’t the hardened criminal's face on CCTV at an ATM.

"It isn’t their phone number or bank account details linked to the transfer of illegal gains – it’s those of the money mule."