The Criminal Assets Bureau has seized two houses and farmland in counties Laois and Clare, one belonging to a member of a feuding Limerick organised crime gang.
It brings to five the number of houses the Bureau has taken possession of in the past two weeks, and a total of 24 such reposession in the past year.
It took almost ten years, but today the CAB announced it has taken possession of a farmhouse, stables and 18.5 acres - which includes a horse trotting track - from a member of the McCarthy/Ryan criminal gang.
The gang has been involved in a murderous feud for over 20 years with the Dundon organised crime group which has cost 17 lives.
The property was taken from William McInerney, who CAB says is a trusted gang member and does not have the legitimate income to buy it.
It was bought to disguise the proceeds of drug dealing and other organised crime activity.
Now 51, McInerney was a jockey and horse trainer for other members of the gang who trained and stabled the horses at the property at Kealderra, Bodyke in Co Clare.
A track was built on the land for organised illegal sulky races, which CAB says were then used by criminals to launder money through gambling and horse sales.
McInerney has convictions for drugs, theft, assault and passing counterfeit currency.
He bought the farmhouse and land at an auction for €233,000 in 2010 and paid a cash deposit of €23,300. It is now estimated to be worth over €500,000.
McInerney was on social welfare but claimed he got the money through the sale of another property, investments in Lanzarote, the sale of a Toyota Land Cruiser and also that he had found "€5,000-€6,000" in another house he bought.
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He also said he got the cash deposit through a combination of "horse trading" money which was "under the counter" and two people, "Marie" and "Cha" he met for a loan of €156,000, but "didn't sign any forms at that meeting".
CAB says it identified and dismantled as part of its investigation a complex money laundering scheme using various bank accounts and mediums in Ireland and Spain.
The High Court ruled the property to be the proceeds of crime and appointed a receiver.
Portlaoise house seizure
CAB also said it seized a second house at Harpur's Lane in Portlaoise as part of a separate investigation targeting the various assets in the possession and control of Mary Cash.
Cash bought the house with the proceeds of money laundering and burglary, and along with the house CAB also seized a Volkswagen Golf, a gold Cartier watch, a gold Chanel watch, four Chanel handbags, a Chanel wallet, 14-carat gold bracelet, necklace and white gold bracelet, €9,700, £21,850 sterling and 4,673 Qatari Riyal worth €1,150.
The High Court was told that that Mary Cash was the wife of Andy Cash, a member of a notorious travelling burglary gang which carried out robberies all over the country.
CAB told the court she is believed to be the driver for her husband and the organised crime gang.
Over €420,000 was lodged to her bank account over a ten-year period. She claimed she was a lone parent with two children who was separated from her husband.
She said she moved to Australia in 2015 and worked as a cleaner, childminder and escort while her husband did power-washing, tarmacking and gravel work, and that they earned €150,000.
She said she was able to deposit over €125,000 in the nine months between March and December 2015 to buy the Portlaoise house.
Mr Justice Noonan said that "very few people can suddenly accumulate the guts of €100,000 by cash lodgements and go off and purchase a house".
The High Court found the house was bought by the proceeds of crime, a judgment upheld by the Court of Appeal.
'Trophy houses'
Two weeks ago CAB took possession of three other houses in Kildare, Dublin and Longford.
It seized a house at Ellistown in Kildare from Adam Keatinge, who CAB says is a criminal and drug dealer.
Over €63,000 worth of renovations had been carried out on the house.
It also took over €10,000 cash and €5,600 worth of gold bars from Keatinge.
CAB also seized land and buildings in Drumany and Toomans in Co Leitrim from Niall Smith, whom it says is another drug dealer from Clondalkin in Dublin, involved in cultivating and selling the drugs.
It also targeted an organised crime group in Longford involved in feuding and drug dealing in the county.
Property, €17,800 in cash, a Ford Focus, a trailer, Christian Louboutin Decollete nude heels and a Louis Vuitton tote and wallet were seized.
Eight people were identified in the High Court including Jamie Dinnegan and his wife Teresa.
€13,000.09 in a bank account in the name of Jamie Dinnegan and Teresa Dinnegan was deemed to be the proceeds of crime along with €1,152.79 in a bank account in the name of Jamie Dinnegan and €11,172.38 in a bank account in the name of Jamie Dinnegan and Teresa Dinnegan.
The couple's house at Grian Ard bought in 2015 was also seized. Over €337,000 was spent on refurbishing it.
The Head of the Criminal Assets Bureau, Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gubbins said CAB is increasingly targeting so called "trophy houses", home bought with the proceeds of crime.
It has seized five in the last two weeks in Laois, Clare, Leitrim and Kildare.
