Leitrim grow house sells for €206,000 at auction
Seized Leitrim house linked to cannabis grow operation sells for €206,000 at auction after major Criminal Assets Bureau case
A house in Leitrim that was seized due to its connection to a cannabis-growing operation was sold last week for €206,000.
The property, located in Drumany in the south of the county, was seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) last year.
It was one of several properties owned by taxi driver Niall Smith that were confiscated by CAB in connection with a nationwide cannabis cultivation operation. Two of these properties were located in Leitrim.
Smith, a Crumlin native who initially opposed the CAB case, is alleged by the Bureau to have operated grow houses across the country for more than ten years, according to the Sunday World.
The Sunday World also reported that while the Drumany property was purchased for €15,000 in 2011, the Criminal Assets Bureau estimates Smith invested €422,355 in constructing a house on the site.
The property, which had been refurbished to a high standard, was sold at auction by BRG Gibson Auctions.
The second Leitrim property seized is located in Toomans, in the Keshcarrigan area of the county. It includes a cottage and surrounding land and is scheduled to go up for auction next month with a reserve price of €25,000.
BRG Gibson Auctions describes the property as having “ample potential that is sure to appeal to a range of buyers, including builders and investors.”