Thomas 'Slab' Murphy kept letters and threats he received from relatives of IRA victims, Thomas 'Slab' Murphy jailed for 18 months over tax evasion, Timeline of girl claiming to be Madeleine McCann amid DNA saga as controversial Instagram deleted. When a huge Garda team raided the farm of Thomas Slab Murphy straddling the Border between north Louth and south Armagh, he was nowhere to be seen. [2] His farm straddles County Armagh and County Louth on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Thomas "Slab" Murphy / Murphy's Farm - TRAC These pipes were connected to petrol and derv dispensing machines concealed within the shed. Their trawl of his tax affairs over a nine-year period led to him being charged in 2007. Mind you, he probably has so many Garda on his payroll anyway.. At the time of the ARA inquires in Manchester last October, Mr Murphy said he did not own any properties and insisted he made his living from farming. At the hearing, Murphys defence team attempted to use his silence as further mitigation with the argument that he had not attempted to mislead the court. There's no chip on my shoulder. In 1990, he sued the Sunday Times which had alleged he was an IRA commander, and had directed an IRA bombing campaign in Britain as well as helped to import tonnes of weapons from Libya. The bachelor farmer and self-confessed republican protested his innocence during the court proceedings last week. Murphy, from Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, was found to owe the Exchequer taxes, penalties and interest of almost 190,000 for tax dodging from 1996 to 2004. [3] Actualizacin. Families of British soldiers killed or maimed also posted letters to Murphy at his home on the Louth-South Armagh border. Alleged former IRA chief of staff Thomas "Slab" Murphy is being treated like a god by fellow inmates since being jailed. Speaking after properties belonging to Murphy were raided by police 10 years ago, Sinn Fin president Gerry Adams said: "Tom Murphy is not a criminal. Slab Murphy: court documents detail a multi-million euro smuggling These were all printed in block capitals and said Murphy was a scumbag and that he would get what was coming to him. In fact he was, as we understood it, the head of the Provisional IRA in south Armagh.". A brother of smuggler Thomas 'Slab' Murphy has died after an illness. Murphy Bros Nisa Extra is a family run business operating for over 39 years outside of Forkhill Who is 'Slab' Murphy and why is he causing problems for Gerry Adams and The Sunday World reported that two hours prior to the raid, at approximately 4am, fire was seen coming from Murphy's yard. In a statement through a Belfast law firm, he denied links to a multimillion-pound property empire in the UK. A TOP British soldier was shown IRA man Slab Murphys farm on the border at a briefing during the Troubles and told: This is where everything bad stems from.. info@taespr.org. The current ownership of the park, and the caravans inside, is a mystery. [3] We informed the PSNI who started to go through a similar shed on the Northern side. The trial heard the total tax bill for the nine years was 38,519.56 and interest built up on those unpaid bills was 151,445.10 taking the final amount owed to 189,964.66. Four diesel laundering facilities attached to a major network of storage tanks, some of which were underground, were also found. Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, [4] In February 2016, Murphy was jailed and sentenced to 18 months in prison. An affidavit from a senior Customs Officer attached to CAB detailed how the fuel smuggling was carried out at the Murphy farm. Takeaway delivery driver who shot teenage customer dead on doorstep in Meath jailed for life. In 1998, a Dublin court dismissed Murphy's case after a high-profile trial, during which Murphy stated that he had: "Never been a member of the IRA, no way" and claimed not to know where the Maze prison was. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? His 38-acre farm at Hackball's Cross, straddles two counties, Armagh and Louth, You need a TRAC license to view the rest of this content. Murphy had fled just moments before the heavily-armed Garda and Customs search team entered his tiny farmhouse. 'Slab' Murphy found guilty of tax evasion - RTE.ie However, it was clear Murphy and his associates had been smuggling laundered fuel using two tanks that were in an outhouse straddling the Border. In the yards, three tankers and a truck with a fourth tanker concealed inside it were impounded along with an oil laundering unit. [8][10], The Sunday Times subsequently published statements given by Adrian Hopkins, the skipper who ferried weapons from Libya to the IRA, to the French authorities who intercepted the fifth and final Eksund shipment. It is in respect of these smuggling activities and related money laundering offences, which my investigations are being pursued. Email Inside Slab Murphy's multi-million euro, cross-border smuggling empire. Born in August, 1949 in the townland of Ballybinaby in Hackballscross, Co . Nearby homes similar to 116 Collin Ct have recently sold between $499K to $700K at an average of $195 per square foot. He is the elder brother of "Slab" Murphy, who lost his place as IRA chief of staff after his courtroom loss eight month ago. Alleged former IRA chief Thomas 'Slab' Murphy 'owes the Irish taxman In 1998, Murphy lost a IR1million libel action against the Sunday Times which described him as a senior IRA figure. Thomas Murphy: Former IRA chief of staff 'tipped off' before major Guthrie said even though many IRA members were known to the RUC and Army Intelligence, others were just referred to by nicknames like The Undertaker or The Surgeon but there was always one key figure involved. Broken beyond repair? Jake O'Kane: Is the DUP really going to sink the Assembly and reject the Windsor Framework? He is in general population and is getting on well. More: Thomas 'Slab' Murphy sentenced to 18 months in prison Book Review of Harnden's 'Bandit Country: The IRA and South Armagh' But he is also alleged to have been one of the most powerful figures within the Provisional IRA. There was also a pipe coming around the underground derv (diesel) storage tank to the same shed. The BBC said it had tried to contact Murphy but had received no reply. Apart from the IRA and smuggling, his only passion is Gaelic football. Follow up investigations uncovered a property portfolio including office blocks, houses, hotels and pubs which was conservatively valued at the time to be worth 100million. Journal Media does not control and is not responsible Thomas "Slab" Murphy claims he is just a farmer. IRA Chief with Investment in Bulgaria Arrested on Tax Charges PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images, Thomas Slab Murphy sentenced to 18 months in prison. They've got away with too much for too long. [13] It was extensively reported in the media that the investigation was aimed at damaging the suspected multi-million-pound empire of Murphy, who according to the BBC's Underworld Rich List, has accumulated up to 40 million through smuggling oil, cigarettes, grain and pigs, as well as through silent or partial ownership in legitimate businesses and in property. Conor Lally is Security and Crime Editor of The Irish Times, Failure to address drone disruption issues at Dublin Airport deeply alarming, PSNI given more time to question two men over detectives shooting in Omagh, Two Air Corps planes out of service following crash at Casement Aerodrome, Before I would have held my husbands hand walking around the streets. [27], On 17 December 2015, Murphy was found guilty on nine charges of tax evasion by a three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court trial sitting in Dublin, lasting nine weeks. Isn't his brother ( in law?) I am satisfied that this structure was put in place for the sole purpose of illegally exporting petrol and derv to Northern Ireland., PA Archive / Press Association Images And Slab is a decent honest farmer who justs wants to spend time with his family!!? One of three brothers, Murphy is a lifelong bachelor who lived on the Louth side of his farm before his imprisonment. , 300px wide He stated: The British Army was not going to win the war against the IRA in any recognisable way. His lawyer, John Kearney, claimed that the tax Murphy hadn't paid had in fact been paid by his brother, Patrick. Thomas Slab Murphy See BBC News : Who is Thomas 'Slab' Murphy? Garda officers drive fuel tankers from the scene of a major cross border search operation near Crossmaglen in Co Armagh in March 2006. Putting names to archive photos, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, In photos: India's disappearing single-screen cinemas. Murphy, who has an address at Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth, has been widely described as a 'prominent republican'. Michael McKevitt and his wife Bernadette were evicted from their home near Dundalk. [2] His farm straddles County Armagh and County Louth, the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I believe as a result of investigations and from confidential information in my possession, the source of which I do not wish to reveal for security and operational reasons, that Tom Murphy has been involved in oil smuggling for many years and this smuggling was carried out from North to South or vice versa depending on the price differential in each jurisdiction at particular times.