VETERAN criminal Martin ‘The Viper’ Foley could make a new life for himself along the border.
He has 18 months to pay €1million to the Criminal Assets Bureau or lose his home in Crumlin, Dublin, over an unpaid tax bill.
The Irish Sun can reveal Gardai believe he has been forging links with criminals based in the Bailieborough and Kingscourt areas of Co Cavan.
And they suspect he could move his debt-recovery business to the region if he fails to pay the huge tax bill before next year.
We contacted Foley, 72, this week about his plans, but he did not respond.
One former investigator, who has probed Foley over the years, told us: “Foley’s closest associates are all based along the border and it’s plausible he could move there if he loses his home.
“He has been visiting the border region a lot in recent months and he will be looking at all his options. He knows the area well and he could get a new home a lot cheaper than if he chooses to stay in Dublin.”
Despite Foley’s age and the growth of groups such as the Kinahan cartel in recent years, he is still regarded as having links to “serious organised criminals” in his native Crumlin, where he has lived openly despite the Kinahan cartel trying to kill him in January 2008.
On that occasion, senior cartel member Dean Howe, who was later jailed for the role he played in the failed hit on a Hutch associate in 2017, was suspected of being the gunman.
The attempt on Foley’s life also did not stop his nephew James Quinn from joining the Kinahan cartel and later getting a 20-year sentence for his role in the murder of Gary Hutch in Spain.
Foley also survived an attempt on his life when he was shot by John Gilligan’s right-hand man Brian Meehan.
Another source added: “Foley is left alone and he’s still held in high regard by some of the area’s more violent criminals.
“A lot of the senior cartel figures are in jail or living outside Dublin, so he’s not seen as any threat to them. He might be in his 70s, but he looks after himself and still tries to live on his old reputation.”
Gardai are also continuing to receive reports of his debt collection activities across the country.
Over the course of 2024, and so far this year, they have received reports of him operating across Leinster and Munster.
NO COMPLAINTS
But no criminal complaints have been made against him.
Gardai believe that Foley — who was a close associate of Martin ‘The General’ Cahill — operates by telling people to “google” his name when he calls for debts.
His method means he cannot face intimidation charges because he has not committed any offence.
This was a similar tactic used by Kinahan cartel gun runner Liam Byrne when he was demanding drug debts from vulnerable addicts.
RECESSION RISE
The former investigator added: “Foley started making a name for himself in the debt-collection business in the recession.
“He was a serious criminal who was legitimised by a lot of respectable people. People wanted their money back, so they turned to him because they knew his reputation.”
The legal battle between Foley and CAB has been raging since 2013.
The tax bill was based on 1993-1994 and 1999-2000 earnings, but the figure hit €1million due to interest on it.
