Mobile homes and cars seized from Drogheda feud gang members

Cab officers were granted orders under proceeds of crime legislation at High Court

Gardaí said the seizures show the merits of members of Cab working with Garda Asset Profilers and local investigating teams.
Gardaí said the seizures show the merits of members of Cab working with Garda Asset Profilers and local investigating teams.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) has seized two mobile homes and two high-end cars from criminals involved in the Drogheda gang feud.

The seizures came about as part of Operation Stratus which was established in October 2018 to combat the feud which has claimed four lives to date and resulted in a string of kidnappings and petrol bomb attacks in the Co Louth town.

Cab officers were granted orders under proceeds of crime legislation at the High Court on Friday permitting them to seize two mobile homes worth €20,000 each, an Audi A6 worth €20,000 and another worth €14,000.

The Court ruled, on the balance of probabilities, that the assets were acquired as a result of criminal activity.

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The case was referred to Cab by a “divisional asset profiler” attached to the Louth Garda Division. Cab has established a network of asset profilers around the country in recent year to monitor suspicious accumulations of wealth.

"This was a significant outcome for gardaí from Drogheda targeting those involved in organised crime," said Louth Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan. "It further demonstrates the value of Divisional Garda Asset Profilers and the Criminal Assets Bureau working in parallel with our local investigating team as part of Operation Stratus."

Stratus has seen a number of significant success recently, including the confiscation of large amounts of cash and drugs.

The feud has been partially suppressed, sources say. Serious incidents have reduced significantly but there is continuing low level violence and intimidation.

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher

Conor Gallagher is Crime and Security Correspondent of The Irish Times