Assets worth almost �180,000 were frozen

Seamus Patrick Cunningham, with an address in Dundrod, has criminal convictions dating back to 1985.

The assets include a house in Dundrod; a Rover 25 Turbo Diesel car; two TAG Heur watches; and money contained in a range of bank accounts.

The agency alleged in court these were proceeds of criminal activities.

Cunningham's convictions include for robbery, burglary, going equipped to commit theft, and benefit fraud, as well as nine convictions for theft.

The ARA alleged in court that he may also have been involved in mortgage and credit card fraud.

Cunningham is currently serving a six-year prison sentence after being convicted in June 2005 for robbery of a Securicor van at Market Square in Antrim in January 2003.

The agency stated in court its belief that Cunningham would not appear to have had a level of legitimate income sufficient to fund his acquisition of this property or his standard of living.

"We are continuing to attack the assets of organised criminals at all levels of criminality," ARA assistant director Alan McQuillan said.

"We have alleged in court that Mr Cunningham is a career criminal who has obtained his assets through crime.

"The High Court has now agreed to freeze these properties and we will continue the investigation with a view to asking the court to eventually declare that all these assets are recoverable."