A millionaire who survived an extortion plot weeks ago is at the centre of another drama - after a farmer fired a warning shot when a helicopter landed on his field.
The Irish Mirror has learned that one-time Criminal Assets Bureau target Roger O’Grady, 36, was in the helicopter when the angry farmer loosed off one warning shot during the bizarre incident.
Mr O’Grady – who once had another chopper seized and sold off by the CAB – landed in the helicopter on land near Mohill, Co Leitrim, on Friday afternoon.
Sources said the landowner quickly arrived on the scene and when he saw the chopper on his land he became concerned and fire the warning from a legally-held shotgun.
And a furious Mr O’Grady – who told officers he was in the area to visit friends – then called gardai.
Officers from Carrick-on-Shannon were first on the scene and seized the farmer’s gun as part of the investigation.
Nobody was arrested or injured in the incident and Mr O’Grady lifted off in the helicopter a few minutes after gardai arrived on the land.
The incident came just seven weeks after gardai foiled a plot by a seven-strong gang to kidnap Mr O’Grady at his home in Co Cavan.
Specialist detectives became aware of the plot and mounted a huge surveillance operation against the gang before moving against seven men on Sunday, March 7.
They arrested seven men when they stopped four cars in the Bawnboy area of Cavan – and also recovered four handguns, a machine gun and ammunition.
All seven men – including suspects from each side of the border - were arrested and held for several days, before being released without charge.
Gardai are now preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr O’Grady was also unhurt in that incident.
Mr O’Grady came to the CAB’s attention in 2012, with the Bureau claiming his helicopter and red Ferrari were bought with the proceeds of crime.
In 2013 the CAB collected almost €100,000 from the car dealer under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
These included a red Ferrari sports car, which was sold off for €41,900, a Robinson R22 helicopter for €15,000 and a Range Rover Vogue for €12,000.
Bureau officers also seized almost €27,000, which was confiscated from a bank account held by O'Grady.
The proceeds from the sales and the cash from the account, totalling €95,900, were forfeited to the Exchequer.
