Like now, back then it was hailed as the best way of hitting the leaders of the underworld where it would hurt the most: their pockets.
The creation of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) was prompted by the murder of crime reporter Veronica Guerin in 1996. Gangster John Traynor, known as "The Coach", fled Ireland soon after Guerin was shot dead while stopped at traffic lights on the outskirts of Dublin.
