The Criminal Assets Bureau in the Republic and operatives in Britain confiscated almost £500,000 in cash from Thomas 'Slab' Murphy.

He and his brothers Frank and Patrick also handed over other assets including properties in the UK worth £445,000.

The three men and the Ace Oils fuel company were targeted by police investigating a massive smuggling racket operating on both sides of the Irish border.

The high court in Dublin gave the order today for the assets to be seized.

The judge said he was satisfied the money seized in a raid on Murphy's farm in County Louth in March 2006 was from the proceeds of crime.

The farm was also the address of Ace Oils Ltd and Murphy's brothers Frank and Patrick.

Murphy, 56, is still facing tax offence charges.

His brothers Patrick and Frank have reached tax settlements with the Criminal Assets Bureau for a figure understood to be over 1m euros.

In a separate investigation, 'Slab' Murphy, 58, faces nine charges of tax evasion for failing to furnish a return of his income, profits or gains over eight years from 1996.

He is expected to try to block the trial in the High Court next month.

The three men were under investigation since March 2006 when "Slab" Murphy's sprawling farm in Hackballscross, straddling the border between Louth and Armagh, was raided.

More than £140,000 in mixed currencies, 30,000 cigarettes and 8,000 litres of fuel were seized while 30 archive boxes of documents, three tankers and a truck with a fourth tanker concealed inside were impounded.

An oil laundering unit was also seized.