The Special Criminal Court has ordered the convicted drugs dealer, John Gilligan, to pay over €17 million within a year after finding that he had benefited from importing more than 17,500 kilos of cannabis into the State over a two-year period.
The court made the confiscation order after convicting Gilligan last March of six counts of drug-trafficking for which he was jailed for 28 years.
Mr Justice O'Donovan said: "The court is satisfied that, during the material period, the defendant was responsible for the importation into the State of a net amount of cannabis resin totalling 17,530 kilos which had cost him £21,000,000.36 to purchase.
"The court is also satisfied that Mr Gilligan disposed of those 17,530 kilos of cannabis resin for a price of £2,000 per kilo; in other words, the sum of £35,060,000.
"Accordingly, making allowances for the £100,000, which he paid to John Dunne, to import the said quantities of cannabis resin into the State, it follows, in the view of the court, that Mr Gilligan benefited from his drug-trafficking activities to the extent of £13,924,000 or €17,679,833.
"In the light of the foregoing, the court hereby makes a confiscation order against John Gilligan pursuant to the provisions of Section 4 (4) of the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, requiring that the said John Gilligan do pay a sum of €17,679,833 within a period of 12 months from the present date."
After the court's order was made, Mr Peter Charleton SC said that the Special Criminal Court had now finished with the case and any further order would be a matter for the DPP to seek the appointment of a receiver in the High Court.
The court refused an application for leave to appeal against the order made by Gilligan's counsel, Mr Michael O'Higgins SC.
At the conclusion of his trial last year Mr Charleton, prosecuting, asked the court to make a confiscation order against Gilligan.
But Gilligan's counsel, Mr O'Higgins, challenged the court's jurisdiction to hear the State's application and also the legal basis for the application.
Following several hearings throughout the year the court decided yesterday to make the confiscation order against Gilligan but it is thought likely that Gilligan will appeal the order in the Court of Criminal Appeal.
The court was told at earlier hearings by the Garda Assistant Commissioner, Mr Tony Hickey, that Gilligan made a gross profit of over £37 million from importing around 19,000kg of cannabis resin over a two-year period.
He said Gilligan's net profit was £14,024,000.
The court has heard that the State wants the High Court to appoint a receiver to realise Gilligan's assets which allegedly include an equestrian centre at Jessbrook, two houses in Lucan, a house at Blanchardstown, six vehicles, 16 bank accounts and over £5 million he staked in bets.
Gilligan is serving a 28-year prison sentence imposed by the Special Criminal Court on March 15th last year for importing cannabis resin.
Gilligan (49), with addresses at Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin, and Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, Enfield, Co Kildare, was convicted on March 15th last year of unlawfully importing cannabis resin into the State on various dates between July 1st, 1994, and October 6th, 1996, that he unlawfully possessed cannabis resin for sale or supply on the same dates and that on or about October 3rd, 1996, at Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harold's Cross, Dublin, he had cannabis resin for sale or supply.
He was cleared of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin on June 26th, 1996.
The full text of the judgment on John Gilligan's appeal against the seizure of his assets is available on The Irish Times website at www.ireland.com.