The Criminal Assets Bureau has been granted permission to sell four properties belonging to a member of the INLA and a Galway drug dealer.
The High Court today granted orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act permitting the sale of three houses in Dundalk and another in Galway estimated to be worth over €500,000 in total.
The Court was told that 33-year-old Patrick Rabbitte, from Castle Park, Ballybane in Galway was a convicted criminal and the drugs distributor for a Dublin criminal gang in the west.
The CAB seized his house, worth around €250,000, and today the court allowed it to sell it, but directed that 25% of the money be given to his girlfriend.
In a second case, it ruled that three houses belonging to an INLA member were also the proceeds of crime.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is involved in fraud, theft and brothel keeping and the sale of his properties should make at least €300,000.
In a third and separate case, the court ordered that €40,000 taken from British drug dealer Greg Champness be handed over to the State.
The Garda National Drug Unit took it from him and brought it to CAB. Champness got it from convicted Irish drug trafficker John Kinsella, who is currently serving 12 years for conspiracy to import €7m worth of cocaine and heroin from Belgium.
