The head of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau has warned legitimate businesses not to get drawn into working as fronts for South American drug cartels and organised crime groups.
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis was speaking following the jailing of Nathan McDonnell.
Last week McDonnell, who hid drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel in his garden centre, was jailed for 12 years.
Gardaí also say new legislation, national and international co-operation and successful investigations and prosecutions have reduced the gangland murder rate and dismantled criminal organisations.
The prevalence and pervasive influence of organised crime in Ireland is, they say, illustrated by the volume of seizures by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in the ten years since it was established by former garda commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan.
Over €600m worth of drugs, 171 guns and over 6,500 rounds of ammunition have all been seized, along with €33m in cash - €20m of which has been returned to the exchequer.
More than 1,700 suspects have been arrested and senior Kinahan gang members such as Freddie Thompson and Declan Brady have been jailed in Ireland.
Thomas Kavanagh and Liam Byrne have been jailed in the UK, while Sean McGovern remains in custody in the United Arab Emirates.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is considering criminal charges against Daniel Kinahan.
Gardaí also say criminal gang members at all levels are being targeted.
In one particular threat to life operation, one gang member who bought a SIM card which was used by another gang member was jailed for five years for facilitating an organised crime group carry out an attack on a rival gang member.
Ireland is the shortest route to Europe from South and Central America, and gardaí say, along with Nathan McDonnell, the drugs cartels, such as the Sinaloa in Mexico, are targeting other business people in the State in retail, finance and haulage.
"Legitimate business people are getting sucked in," Assistant Commissioner Willis says, "cartels will target anyone and there is no such thing as an easy buck".
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She advises people if they have been approached to contact the gardaí, who can support them.
She also says that there is a huge demand for cocaine in Ireland and that people who view recreational drug use as acceptable are failing to recognise its links with organised crime and murder.
Ireland is the fourth largest market in Europe for South American cocaine.
Ms Willis also says jury intimidation, which was a major factor in organised crime case, has been eliminated by the use of the Special Criminal Court.
Gangland murders have dropped in the past decade from 16 to one last year.
Gardaí say this is because at least 83 murders have been prevented and lives have been saved, the firearms to be used in them have been seized and many of the gunmen willing to carry them out have been imprisoned.
