CAB raid in Cavan linked to convicted drug dealer threatened by dissident republicans recently
The Criminal Assets Bureau is examining the purchase of lands and homes by a convicted drug dealer along the border.
CAB officers, backed up by armed units and specialist squads, seized an Audi A4 and a horsebox belonging to the 28-year-old single man.
The man is one of a number of local targets that have been referred to CAB by divisional asset profilers for investigation.
The target, who lives in Co. Cavan, has a number of convictions, including for drugs.
He has also been threatened in the recent past by dissident republicans in relation to his activities.
CAB will examine if the car and the horsebox are the proceeds of crime. Sources said the seizure is part of a wider investigation into lands and homes purchased by the individual.
A Garda statement said: “The Criminal Assets Bureau conducted a search operation this morning [Thursday] in the Cavan Monaghan Division in relation to the sale and supply of illegal drugs in the area.
“This search operation was assisted by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Regional Armed Response Unit, and local Gardaí.”
The statement said: “Two separate properties were searched as part of this operation.
"An Audi A4 car and a horsebox were seized. No arrests have been made. The CAB investigation into the ownership of real estate property is progressing.”
The Stolen Motor Vehicle Investigation Unit, attached to the NBCI, was involved, but no stolen vehicles were found.
The target's home is a timber log house located in a compound in Co. Cavan. He has a second home and CAB believe he has purchased lands in the general area.
The bureau is examining how the purchases were made and if it involved criminal proceeds.
In 2018, CAB received 184 asset profiles from divisional asset profilers across the country, as compared to 101 profiles in 2017.
At the end of last year, CAB had 973 targets, 25 of them from the Cavan/Monaghan Division. It was the highest number across the Northern Region, with 10 targets in the Donegal Division and 15 in Sligo/Leitrim.
