Laois house features in the Criminal Assets Bureau annual report
CAB seized the house, a car, watches, jewellery and cash from Mary Cash
A house seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) because it was bought with money generated by crime features in the 2025 annual report of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
CAB has revealed that the house at 7 Harpurs Lane, Portlaoise, sold for €91,000 after being initially seized with a car, watches, jewellery and cash which have all now been sold by the Bureau. The Bureau took possession following an investigation into Mary Cash who claimed she had worked as an escort in Australia as well as a cleaner, childminder, while her husband did power-washing, tarmacking and gravel work.
It’s emerged that she claimed they earned €150,000 and she was able to deposit over €125,000 in the nine months between March and December 2015 to buy the house in Portlaoise.
CAB said she was a driver for her husband, a member of a notorious travelling burglary gang that carried out robberies all over the country, and that over €420,000 was lodged to her bank account over ten years.
The High Court found the house was bought by the proceeds of crime, a judgment which was upheld by the Court of Appeal.
CAB has reported that it seized and sold her home in Laois along with a Volkswagen Golf, five designer Chanel handbags valued at €13,700, a Cartier silver watch valued at €2,000, a Chanel quartz watch valued at €900, a 14-carat white gold bracelet valued at €1,900, a 14-carat white gold bracelet valued at €2,300, a 14-carat white gold bracelet valued at €2,500. The Bureau also seized £6,900 in cash and €700 in cash.
When the issue came before the courts in 2023, it was reported that the house on Harpur’s Lane was bought without a mortgage in 2018 for €100,000 that came from a bank account into which large sums of cash had been lodged. CAB also found that the house was later substantially renovated.
The home is among several case studies in the 2025 annual report which is due to be discussed by Cabinet on July 14 before it is laid before the Dáil.
The Leinster Expess / Laois Live reported in April 26, that Andrew Cash Senior (58) of Whitechurch Heights, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16 and Mary Cash (35), formerly of Harpurs Lane, Portlaoise, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to providing the Irish Passport Services with information or documents that were known to be false or misleading on June 12, 2019 at the Balbriggan Passport Services office.
CAB describes itself as being a key part of the armoury of the State in tackling criminal activity, in particular, serious and organised criminal activity. It says it seeks to deny and deprive criminals of assets acquired through criminal conduct. The Bureau says the range of criminal conduct is varied and includes drug trafficking, theft, burglary, fraud and money laundering.
All money collected by the CAB is transferred to the Exchequer for use on Government spending.