FELLONIS OPPOSE CONFISCATION OF ASSETS

More than £100,000 sterling in bank accounts allegedly held by two jailed
members of the Felloni family has been frozen by the High Courts in Belfast
and London, a court heard yesterday.

Mr Shane Murphy, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the accounts
which allegedly belonging to Tony and Regina Felloni contained just over
£115,000 sterling.

Mr Murphy submitted to Judge Kieran O'Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal
Court that he could take the existence of these accounts into consideration
when deciding whether to confiscate another £134,000 in cash and a house
from the Fellonis. The court has previously been told the house at Mellowes
Road, Finglas, Dublin, was bought for £46,500 in December 1995.

Tony Felloni (53), of Lower Dominick Street, Dublin is serving 20 years in
prison for four heroindealing offences. His daughter Regina is serving six
years and nine months and his son Luigi six years for similar offences.

They are all opposing a move by the State to have the £134,000 and the
house confiscated under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice
Act 1994. These assets have already been frozen by Mr Justice Carney in the
High Court.

It is alleged the assets were the proceeds of illegal drugdealing by the
three Fellonis. This is the first such application to be opposed since the
1994 Act came into operation. The case was adjourned to November 24th. At
an earlier hearing, Judge O'Connor was told Tony Felloni was originally
known as Anthony Carroll but changed his name by deed poll in 1959.

Details of the cash and property, allegedly belonging to the three Fellonis
as a result of drug dealing, were outlined in an affidavit by Det Sgt John
O'Driscoll of the Dublin North Central Drugs Unit.

Mr Murphy said the DPP was granted an order of restraint by Mr Justice
Carney on April 5th, 1996, in respect of "specific realisable property in
possession or under control of the three respondents". This order froze all
their known accounts and assets in the State.

In his affidavit, Det Sgt O'Driscoll said Tony Felloni opened an Irish
Permanent account at its St Stephen's Green branch in 1984. The yearend
balance for 1992 was £153,703.99 and almost all of this was withdrawn in
July 1993.

Evidence was also given of further bank accounts in the names of Regina and
Luigi Felloni. One account was opened in Regina's name in 1977 and its
current balance was £66,995. There were six transactions up to 1993 but
from November 1993 to March 27th, 1996, the account was "extremely active".

Det Sgt O'Driscoll said he believed Regina Felloni used this account to
work in conjunction with Tony Felloni "to secure funds which they had
received as a result of their participation in drugstrafficking offences".