THE businessman caught behind the wheel of a lorry with €10.6million worth of cocaine stashed inside is now in the sights of the Criminal Assets Bureau, the Irish Sun can reveal.
The suspect remains in garda custody over the massive 152kg haul of drugs that was uncovered behind a wall in a refrigerated unit of the HGV.
It was intercepted on the M9 in Kilkenny shortly after 10am on Tuesday, but the cocaine was so well concealed, the lorry had to be driven to Dublin Port where it was X-rayed.
The drugs belonged to the west Dublin mob known as ‘The Family’, who are now the No1 drug traffickers in the country.
The arrested man has been a long time target for the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, who suspect he operated as a major drugs importation facilitator for the country’s top mobs.
But senior sources have revealed that CAB will now be examining his businesses, which are based in the south east and along the border, along with his property portfolio and any other assets.
It is suspected that the man had used companies to launder profits from his dirty work.
The Irish Sun has also learned that the man had lived a lavish lifestyle and was not afraid to enjoy the money he was paid off the back of storing and transporting cocaine and other drugs.
A source told us: “CAB will certainly be looking through his businesses, specifically looking at money laundering, but also his assets and if they were also acquired through the proceeds of crime.
“This is someone who was a high-level facilitator to drug gangs nationally but on the surface portrayed himself as a businessman.
“He’s in enough trouble as it is from his arrest, but it is vitally important that the likes of CAB is used to hit these guys from every angle to strip them of any wealth acquired from organised crime.”
Aside from the drugs game, the suspect was also involved in cross-border smuggling and is an associate of IRA man Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy.
Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis, who is in charge of Organised & Serious Crime, said: “This is a further example of An Garda Siochana’s commitment to target the enablers and facilitators of organised crime.
“The recently published European Union Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment highlights that serious and organised crime undermines the very foundations of political, economic and social cohesion and stability through illicit proceeds, the perpetuation of violence and the extension of corruption.
“I thank the public for their support and encourage everybody to play their part. Report suspicious activity in confidence to the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111.”
