Cab secures possession of drug dealer's house

THE CRIMINAL Assets Bureau has secured an order for possession of a house jointly owned by a man described as a major drug dealer in north Dublin who allegedly invested in a lot of properties.

Anthony Callaghan jnr, who is serving a prison sentence, was in court yesterday when the order was made over his house at Hazelbury Park, Clonee.

He was described in an affidavit from the Cab's chief legal officer as being engaged in the sale and supply of drugs from which he had made "substantial sums" of money.

Benedict Ó Fhloinn, for the Cab, sought the order to satisfy a judgment mortgage for total sums of €1.3 million which it obtained against Callaghan in January 2005 for unpaid taxes and registered against all properties owned by him.

The order provides for those sums to be deemed well-charged against the Hazelbury Park property, and directed that the necessary steps be taken to give the Cab vacant possession of the property by August 5th next.

The Cab's chief legal officer, Frank Cassidy, will be appointed receiver over the property when vacant possession is delivered, and will then take steps to sell it.

Callaghan did not object to the order nor was any objection advanced on behalf of Lisa Darley, Yellow Meadow Lawn, Clondalkin, his former girlfriend, and joint owner of the property.

In separate proceedings, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy reserved judgment on an application by the Cab for orders that an earlier €1.3 million judgment against Callaghan stands "well-charged" over property at Ballybough Road and Sackville Avenue, Ballybough Road.

In this matter Anthony Callaghan snr, of Albert College Crescent, Ballymun, Dublin 9, who is Callaghan's father, opposed the application on grounds he is the owner of the properties and had bought them out of his own personal funds. A retired docker, Mr Callaghan snr denied claims by the Cab that he bought the properties in May 1994 in trust for and on behalf of his son, and using money from his son. In an affidavit, he said he funded the purchases from his own redundancy and pension.

Gavin Rawlston, for Mr Callaghan snr, said the well-charging order should be refused because the Cab had advanced no evidence to show Callaghan jnr had an equitable interest in the Ballybough property. The Cab was proceeding on the basis of suspicion only, he argued.

Mr Ó Fhloinn said the financial situation of Mr Callaghan snr would not allow him buy the property. If the court accepted what Mr Callaghan snr said, there would have been just £10,000 to develop the property which was in a near derelict state, counsel said. On the other hand, substantial funds were available, generated by the criminality of his son.

Counsel read an affidavit from a detective garda who investigated the financial affairs of Mr Callaghan snr and his son. The detective said Callaghan jnr was a major figure in the distribution of drugs and controlled substances in north Dublin, and had invested in a lot of properties.