A Dublin criminal had a picture of Tony Montana, the fictional drug trafficker played by Al Pacino in the film Scarface, beside his hot tub when the Criminal Assets Bureau raided his home in Finglas.
The bureau has seized the house, on the Casement Drive local authority estate, following a proceeds of crime case in the High Court. The property has been valued at €250,000.
The house was extended and had a number of improvements made to it including the installation of bullet proof windows, the hot tub and a sauna. The house also features a washing unit designed to spray water all over a person’s body at once rather than only from above as with a conventional shower.
A box room had been converted into a walk-in wardrobe where Jason Boyle, who the bureau told the High Court was a drug dealer, kept his clothes including about 40 pairs of similar trainers, which he bought in different colours to match his outfits.
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Boyle had also installed his and hers sinks in a bathroom, where gardaí discovered 40 bottles of aftershave on a shelf.
There were electric reclining chairs in a livingroom and the kitchen had been recently replaced and extended. There were other high-end electronics including a 65-inch TV and a surround sound system.
Social welfare
The bureau also claimed Boyle had owned high-end motor vehicles and underwent €17,000 worth of dental work despite his only declared income being social welfare. A €47,000 Audi A7 was also seized.
An apartment at Royal Dreams, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria was also subject of freezing orders as well as €72,000 cash found in plastic wrapping during a Garda search of the home of Boyle's parents, Laurence (Larry) and Rosaleen Boyle, at Coolebrook Cottages, Finglas West in November 2016.
The court was told the money had been buried in the garden of a property that was owned by the couple before they moved it to their current home.
The bureau claimed the properties were beneficially owned by Jason Boyle but were registered in the names of his parents to conceal his involvement.
Jason Boyle denied being a drug dealer and explanations for the how the assets were acquired were presented before the High Court, though ultimately rejected.
Trust
Larry Boyle claimed the assets were acquired through savings by him over 10 years from his business. He claimed to have kept the cash buried as he did not trust banks after being refused a loan.
The parents also claimed the property at Casement Drive was acquired for €70,000 in 2013 with a €60,000 loan from Mrs Boyle’s father. Larry Boyle said the apartment was acquired from an associate in exchange for €7,000 plus a jeep.
The bureau, represented by Michael Binchy BL, argued that Jason Boyle, who received a 10 year prison sentence in the UK in 2004 for armed robbery, was heavily involved in illegal drug trafficking.