MR John Gilligan, the man who is detained on drug trafficking charges in Britain, could lose his Co Kildare equestrian centre in a dispute over tax.
Officers of the Criminal Assets Bureau raided the property yesterday and took away horses, jeeps, horse trailers, equipment, televisions and video recorders from the Jessbrook Equestrian Centre and the adjacent Gilligan home, at Mucklon, Johnstown Bridge, Co Kildare.
Sources indicated this was an initial stage in an operation which could result in seizure of the property itself, estimated to be worth up to £3 million.
However, the value of the assets seized yesterday must first be calculated.
Mr Gilligan, who says gardai suspect him of involvement in the murder of Veronica Guerin, was charged in London under drug trafficking laws early last month after attempting to board a flight to The Netherlands with £300,000 in cash in a bag. He is currently in Belmarsh high security prison in London.
Yesterday's raid at the Jessbrook Equestrian Centre was the first such move by the new bureau, set up by the Government in July after Ms Guerin's murder. It followed a failure by Mr Gilligan to pay a tax demand of more than £1 million.
Ms Geraldine Gilligan was at the Jessbrook centre with her son and daughter yesterday when the team from the bureau and the local sheriff, numbering about 12 people, arrived at 9 a.m.
Some of them wore dark glasses and scarves to conceal their identities and the number plates on some of their vehicles had been removed. Gardai from the Louth/ Meath division were at the scene and between 15 and 20 were there as back up throughout the day. A small number was armed.
During the morning the bureau team - drawn from the Garda, the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Welfare - made an inventory of the stock and equipment at the Gilligan home and equestrian centre.
Later in the day, the sheriffs team took away 10 horses, two jeeps, horseboxes, furniture, machinery, televisions and video recorders.
A child's pony was left, as were four horses found not to belong to the Gilligans.
At the scene Garda Del Supt Michael Finnegan of Dundalk said personal effects and necessities - "basic living requirements" - had been left in place.
Mrs Gilligan said she had received an initial tax demand of £882,000 and a later one, which, with interest added, totalled almost £1.3 million.
"I couldn't answer any tax assessments because the police have all my documents of returns, and everything else, so I didn't have any documentation to answer [with]," she said.
She said she had given the tax demands to her solicitor, who had sought return of the documents.
Asked how much was sought in the tax assessment documents sent to the Gilligans, she said: "Mine was £882,000, but the one that I got on the 14th of this month was gone up with interest to £1,292,000." She said he could prove the source of any income.