Court order on €200k Traveller assets

THE Criminal Assets Bureau was granted a court order yesterday to dispose of up to €200,000 linked to a Traveller family based in Waterford city.

The High Court issued the order after dealing with the fifth and final person targeted by the CAB in the operation.

The agency carried out raids at the Kilbarry Halting Site in the Ballybeg area of the city in April 2005 as part of an operation involving 35 local gardaí.

They seized five cars, including two top-of-the-range Audi estates, a Volkswagen Golf and a Pajero Jeep.

All five vehicles had either a ’04 or ’05 registration and were worth about €150,000 in total. The CAB also seized €40,000 in cash.

The searches took place over two days and were assisted by a Garda helicopter.

The vehicles and cash were frozen by the CAB after they secured an order under Section Two of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996 in the High Court.

The vehicles were sold by a receiver appointed by the High Court and the monies were kept in an account pending yesterday’s application for a disposal order.

CAB officers made an order for disposal under Section Three of the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The money will now be transferred to the Exchequer, along with the cash frozen at the time.

The High Court granted the order after finalising the case of Patrick Reilly, the last of the five family members hit in the operation.

The court heard that the vehicles and cash were the proceeds of alleged criminality, such as burglary and theft, including robbery of the elderly and so-called “distraction theft”, where cash is stolen from people by diverting the victim’s attention.

The court was told that while the family targeted was based at Kilbarry Halting Site, the alleged crimes took place across the country.