Land and property on both sides of the Irish Sea were yesterday seized by the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) during an investigation into suspected fuel smuggling in Northern Ireland.
The agency received a High Court order in Belfast to take control of £2.6 million worth of land, property, money and other possessions belonging to Jonathan and Monica Sawyers from Sixmilecross and their company, Little Float Farm Ltd.
Among the assets frozen were land and properties at five sites in Sixmilecross, land at Tievenameena in County Tyrone, a farm at Sandhead, in Stranraer, Scotland, and property in Glaslough, County Monaghan.
The ARA also seized the proceeds of lands and property across County Tyrone, money which had passed through or was in a number of accounts, as well as a Toyota Landcruiser, a Nissan Patrol, a BMW X5 Sport, an Audi A4, a Holland tractor, a Toyota Vego minibus, an Isuzu Rodeo Denver pick-up truck, livestock and farm machinery.
In its court application, the agency accused Mr Sawyers of being involved in fuel smuggling and laundering, and claimed a substantial proportion of the County Tyrone couple's income had been generated illegally.
While the court was also told Mr Sawyers had a legitimate farm business, it heard he had an extensive criminal record including convictions for transporting unfit animals, deception, conspiracy fraudulently to evade customs duty, causing unnecessary suffering to livestock, and supplying animals for slaughter unfit for human consumption.
ARA assistant director Alan McQuillan said his team remained committed to targeting those dealing in laundered fuel.