Latest news with #StefanSaunders
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Business
- Sunday World
House tied to Kinahan-linked cartel growhouse operation sells for €51k
The remote Co Leitrim house was bought by Clondalkin taxi driver Niall Smith, who gardaí said operated grow houses all over the country for ten years. A property linked to a cannabis growing operation run by the Byrne Gang has been sold off at auction after being seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. The remote Co Leitrim house, in a run-down state, was one of two bought in the county to be converted into a cannabis farm, according to Cab evidence. Four bidders battled it out for the bargain property which had a reserve price of €25,000 but sold for €51,000 last week. Clondalkin taxi driver Niall Smith, who gardaí said operated grow houses all over the country for ten years, had bought the house and sheds. Niall Smith They estimated he had spent €86,000 on renovating the property at Toomans earmarked by the Kinahan Cartel linked gang to grow cannabis. 'The remoteness of this location and the materials found when the property was searched support this conclusion,' it was stated in the High Court. The gang had planned to use the properties after gardaí discovered their grow-house in Wexford. Another house at Drumany was bought in 2011 for €15,000 by Smith but Cab estimated that €422,355 was spent on building a house on the site. That house, which had been refurbished to a high-standard, sold for €206,000 at auction in April. Two other houses seized by Cab were also auctioned off last week, one of which belonged to convicted armed robber Stefan Saunders. His five-bedroom house in Hazelbury Park in Clonee, was sold for €573,000, topping previous prices for houses in the estate, according to the Price Property Register. The home in Leitrim Saunders was one of the country's most prolific and dangerous armed robbers and was jailed for seven and a half years for an attempted ATM robbery in 2016. It was previously heard in the High Court that the couple bought the house in a spending spree after the €2.5m Brinks Allied security van robbery in Artane, Dublin, in 2005. Cab took possession of the property in Clonee in January after the couple exhausted all their legal appeals against the High Court ruling. Stefan Saunders claimed he worked as a plasterer while Tammy claimed she earned her income from an interior decorating business they owned. Cab also sold a house in Portlaoise, Co Laois last week that it had seized from Mary Cash who they alleged had acted as a getaway driver for a burglary gang. News in 90 June 4th The semi-detached four-bedroom bungalow with a large back garden at Harpur's Lane in Portlaoise sold for €91,000. Bought for €100,000 without a mortgage it was declared proceeds of crime in 2023 despite Ms Cash's claim she had made money in Australia working as an escort and a cleaner. During the case it was heard that new floors and a front door were installed along with a brand-new bathroom despite the couple's modest means. Cash is the wife of Andrew Cash, a member of a notorious burglary gang which carried out robberies all over the country along with her brother Henry Kiely, it was heard in the High Court. It emerged during the case there was a secret compartment in a bedroom where officers found £6,000 hidden in two socks during searches. In one search in 2020, images of Mary Cash leading 'a lavish lifestyle' were found on her mobile phone, including one taken while shopping at the up-market London store Harrods. A gold Cartier Santos Galbee watch worth €2,000, a Chanel N'Quartz watch worth €900 and two diamond bracelets worth €4,200 were also seized.
RTÉ News
30-05-2025
- RTÉ News
CAB sells Dublin home of convicted robber for €573,000
The Criminal Assets Bureau has sold two homes in Dublin and Laois that were the proceeds of crime for a total of €664,000. The home of the convicted armed robber Stefan Saunders, a semi-detached double-fronted five-bedroom house in Hazelbury Park in Clonee, was sold for €573,000, €228,000 above the asking price. CAB took possession of it five months ago and it sold this week in an online auction. Stefan Saunders and his wife Tammy had lived in the expensively furnished and extended house but the High Court ruled three years ago that it was purchased with the proceeds of crime. The couple failed in two appeals to keep it and then failed in their attempt to have the case heard by the Supreme Court. Saunders was one of the country's most prolific and dangerous armed robbers and was jailed for seven and a half years for an attempted ATM robbery in 2016. The 46-year-old was part of a criminal gang suspected of being involved in several high-profile crimes, including the armed robbery of over €1.8m from a Brinks Allied security van in Artane in Dublin in January 2005. He and his wife then went on "a spending spree" on expensive cars, houses and extensive renovations from April 2005 until 2007. This included a six-week luxury holiday in Orlando with extended family, the purchase of two BMWs, the purchase of the house in Clonee for €360,000 and a €125,000 refurbishment and extension to the house. Stefan Saunders claimed he worked as a plasterer while Tammy claimed she drew a salary from an interior decorating business they owned, claims which were rejected by the High Court. House in Laois sold for €91,000 CAB also sold a house in Portlaoise, Co Laois this week that it seized from a woman who claimed she worked as an escort in Australia. Mary Cash's semi-detached four-bedroom bungalow with a large back garden at 7 Harpur's Lane sold online for €91,000, €1,000 over the asking price. The High Court was told Cash was the wife of Andy Cash, a member of a notorious 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 and 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. They earned €150,000, she added. The High Court ruled the house was the proceeds of crime.
The Irish Sun
15-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Inside Dublin home of one of Ireland's most dangerous armed robbers with converted attic as CAB puts €345k buy on market
THE Dublin home of a convicted armed robber has been put on the market by the Criminal Assets Bureau. With an asking price of €345,000, the house was once home to convicted cash-in-transit armed robber Advertisement 5 The home is located in Clonee , Dublin 15 Credit: 5 The home has a modern kitchen Credit: 5 Stefan Saunders was the previous homeowner Credit: Journalist collect He lived at the home with his wife until it was ruled at the The house was noted to be expensively furnished at the time. Advertisement READ MORE IN NEWS The In an appeal against the High Court decision at the Court of Appeal, the couple lost, and again a second time when the case was heard by the Now, it looks to be sold at an online public The semi-detached double-fronted five-bedroom Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Exclusive It is also As you head upstairs, there is a master bedroom, complete with an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, four other bedrooms and an attic conversion. The property is located close to the M50/M3 It is also located a short walk from local Advertisement The area is said to be "well serviced by public transport", with The home is made up of an entrance hallway, WC, open plan living room, dining room and It also comprises of a front car The kitchen is a modern design, with an open plan living area and conservatory. Advertisement As well as a walk-in The main bathroom is also complete with a PREVIOUS OWNERS It is alleged that They were also noted to have gone on a six-week holiday to Orlando with family, bought two BMWs, the home in Clonee for €360,000 and spent an additional €125,000 on an extension. Advertisement The extension was paid for in cash, with €30,000 allegedly going to a carpenter in €5,000 payments of €50 notes. The home's renovation features a sanitary ware, furnishings, projector screens and a jacuzzi. The couple have denied the money used in these purchases came from criminal activity. Saunders was arrested for an attempted Advertisement The proceeds of the sale of the house, which will occur on May 28, 2025, will be remitted to the State. 5 It features an attic conversion Credit: 5 There is also a jacuzzi feature Credit:
Irish Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Plush home of notorious criminal put up for auction by Criminal Assets Bureau
The home of convicted cash-in-transit armed robber Stefan Saunders has been put up for auction by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). The five-bedroom pad will go under the hammer later this month with a guide price of €345,000 attached - but it is expected to fetch more. The home, which is located in Hazelbury Park in Clonee, was seized by the CAB in January. Wilsons Auctions said the home is "superbly located" with "plenty of car parking and a large rear sunny garden" and "perfectly situated overlooking a large green". It boasts more than 2,740 sq feet and has an open plan living room, kitchen, dining room, sunroom and toilet downstairs. In the master bedroom, there is an en-suite and a walk-in wardrobe along with four other bedrooms and a converted attic. The High Court ruled back in late 2022 that the house, in Clonee on the border between Dublin and Meath, was bought from the proceeds of crime, but Saunders launched two separate appeals to a judge's decision to allow the CAB to take control of it. Those appeals ran out of road in recent months and the CAB took possession of the five-bedroom, semi-detached house in Clonee's Hazelbury Park earlier this year. The couple bought the house in 2005 for €360,000 – and spent some €125,000 renovating it a few years later. The renovation job saw them fitting this jacuzzi – as well as installing high-end marble counters in the bathrooms and kitchen. The High Court ruled the outlay on the house was just part of a massive spending spree between 2005 and 2007. That included a six-week luxury holiday in Orlando with family members and the purchase of two BMWs. The court heard Saunders – alleged by the CAB to be a serious armed robber – even paid a carpenter €30,000 in cash to do work on the Clonee house. The couple had also bought an investment property in Finglas, north Dublin at the height of their wealth. Stefan Saunders, 46, was jailed in 2018 for seven-and-a-half years after Gardaí foiled a cash-in-transit armed robbery in 2016. He and his accomplices were arrested by the heavily-armed Emergency Response Unit as they prepared to rob a cash delivery van in Dunboyne, Co Meath. He is also suspected by the Criminal Assets Bureau of being involved in the €1.8 million Brinks Allied security van robbery in Artane, Dublin in 2005. He was charged with false imprisonment in connection with a tiger kidnapping of a cash-in-transit company employee in Dublin in 2010. The trial was abandoned after a decision by the Supreme Court.
Irish Times
14-05-2025
- Irish Times
Five-bedroom home of notorious armed robber put up for sale by Cab
The house of an armed robber has been offered for sale by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) despite the robbery gang leader having fought the case to the Supreme Court. The five-bedroom property, in Clonee on the Dublin-Meath boundary, is now on the market with an asking price of €345,000. Its former owner, Stefan Saunders (47), was jailed in 2018 for 7½ years after gardaí foiled a cash-in-transit armed robbery in 2016. Along with other gang members, he tried to steal more than €2 million from a cash-in-transit van. Saunders was also convicted of possession of a semi-automatic pistol. The property seized from him is 255sq m and is described by Wilsons Auctions as having an 'open-plan livingroom, diningroom and sunroom, kitchen, five bedrooms, master with en suite and walk-in wardrobe and main bathroom'. Saunders spent some €120,000 on extending the house, which included expensive sanitary ware, furnishings, projector screens and a Jacuzzi. The double-fronted semidetached house was taken possession of four months ago by Cab, after a protracted legal process, including Saunders attempting to bring the case for hearing before the Supreme Court. The house will be sold in an online public auction in two weeks. READ MORE In its case against Saunders in the High Court, Cab's evidence was that the Dubliner was also involved in the €1.8 million Brinks Allied security van robbery in Artane, Dublin in 2005. He was forensically linked to a vehicle used in a 'tiger kidnapping' of a cash transit firm employee. In October 2022, the High Court found the five-bed house at Hazelbury Park, Clonee, Dublin 15, was acquired and renovated with the proceeds of crime. The court also ruled the mortgage on the property, where Saunders lived with his wife, Tammy, was paid with such funds until they fell into arrears in 2010. Mr Justice Alexander Owens also ruled that a rental property the couple sold, businesses and expensive cars were funded in the same way. A valuer noted the Hazelbury Park home, which was purchased in 2005 for €360,000 with a 90 per cent mortgage, was refurbished to the 'highest standard' in 2007. The couple denied the assets derived from the proceeds of crime and claimed the funds came from valid employment, gifts and savings. Ruling in the Cab's case brought under the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act, the judge said he was satisfied he was a member of a 'gang of robbers' who funded a 'spending spree' on these assets by Saunders and his wife between 2005 and 2008. Saunders also had a second buy-to-rent property at Mayeston Lawn, Finglas. [ Robbery gang member fails to convince Supreme Court to hear appeal over order on home Opens in new window ] The court ruled the proceeds of crime was used to fund a number of businesses and to buy expensive cars, including a €98,000 BMW X5. The judge said 'money from unidentified sources' was used to provide working capital for the interior decoration business Tammy Saunders worked in, U Design of Berkeley Road, Dublin, which was established in June 2005. Money from unidentified sources was used to open and operate hair salons in Berkeley Road and in Meakstown, near Finglas, he said. Cash from unidentified sources was used to renovate a house owned by Saunders's mother-in-law and her partner in 2006. The source of €17,500 bail money which his mother-in-law put up in November 2006 for Stefan Saunders, who was before the courts on a drugs charge which was later dropped, was also unidentified.
