Land and property on both sides of the Irish Sea were today seized by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) during an investigation into suspected cross-Border fuel smuggling.
The agency received a High Court order in Belfast to take control of £2.6 million (€3.7 million) worth of land, property, money and other possessions belonging to Jonathan and Monica Sawyers from Sixmilecross and their company, Little Float Farm.
Among the assets frozen were land and properties at five sites in Sixmilecross, land at Tievenameena in Co Tyrone; a farm at Sandhead, in Stranraer, Scotland; and property in Glaslough, Co Monaghan.
The ARA also seized the proceeds of lands and property across Co Tyrone, money that had passed through or was in a number of accounts, and livestock and farm machinery, as well as a number of vehicles, including a Toyota Landcruiser, a Nissan Patrol, a BMW X5 Sport, and an Audi A4 1.9 TDI.
In its court application, the agency accused Mr Sawyers of being involved in fuel smuggling and laundering and claimed a substantial proportion of the Co Tyrone couple's income had been generated illegally.
The court was told Mr Sawyers also had a legitimate farm business, but it was told he had an extensive criminal record including convictions for transporting unfit animals, deception, conspiracy fraudulently to evade customs duty, causing unnecessary suffering to livestock and supplying animals for slaughter unfit for human consumption.