Murdered paramilitary boss has €1.9m assets seized

BRITAIN’S anti-racketeering agency said yesterday it had successfully seized assets valued at €1.9 million from the estate of a Northern paramilitary godfather killed in an underworld feud.

The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) said the civil recovery order granted against the estate of ex-guerrilla boss Jim Johnston at Belfast High Court under new powers targeting organised crime was the first such seizure in the UK to top one million pounds.

“This is an important landmark for the agency and its partners in the fight against organised crime,” said ARA’s Northern Ireland chief Alan McQuillan.