A lavish home seized by CAB that once belonged to Kinahan gangster Liam Byrne has gathered huge interest in the past week.
The Crumlin home, which was once estimated to be worth a whopping €1m, is now up for sale for just €400k and has been viewed by almost 30,000 people online.
The property located on Raleigh Square has been on sale by private treaty since the end of May but has caught the eye of many prospective buyers compared to similar properties in the area, which have been viewed by numbers in the hundreds.
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Number 2 Raleigh Square is a three-bed two-storey house with an adjoining garage that was confiscated by the CAB from Byrne (40) in 2019 as part of a major operation clamping down on his gang's assets.
The considerable decrease in value comes as a result of most of the expensive fixtures being removed before the property was handed over to the CAB.
The house was previously registered to Liam's sister Maria Byrne, but her brother lived there and had been paying rent through his car business LS Active Car Sales.
The home had undergone major renovations, which saw upgrades made to the mobster's home, including a panic room, heavily fortified walls, and a jacuzzi.
Liam Byrne was named by gardai in court as being at the head of a major criminal organisation — dubbed the 'Byrne Organised Crime Group'.
The gangster's brother David Byrne was shot dead in Dublin's Regency Airport Hotel in February 2016 — a brutal murder that greatly escalated the Kinahan-Hutch feud.
The mobster's former property, along with others seized by CAB, may now be handed over to Dublin City Council as social housing, according to one Councillor, as there are over 13,000 applicants on DCC's social housing lists according to the latest figures.
And while it is unclear how many houses CAB have seized, Independent Councillor Mannix Flynn claims many have been lying dormant for years.
A motion tabled by Cllr Flynn at a DCC sub-committee asking DCC to enquire with CAB and the Justice Minister about the idea passed recently.
The motion requested DCC "call on CAB (Criminal Assets Bureau) and the Minister for Justice to give to DCC all houses that are seized by CAB to Dublin City Council Housing Department.
"Further, that any other properties or buildings that could be suitable for housing development be also handed over to DCC within the Dublin region."
Cllr Flynn added: "It is outrageous that former homes, once owned by DCC were later acquired privately, that have now been seized by CAB are lying idle and in an appalling state while many of our citizens remain on the housing list and in emergency accommodation."
The Council replied that they "would be happy to engage "with the Criminal Assets Bureau and the Minister for Justice on this matter".
The official did warn it may not be possible to bring every house into DCC's stock, saying: "I would caution however that a blanket approach may not be applicable as the circumstances and particulars for each case will vary and the City Council would not necessarily be privy to relevant background information."
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