Murphy was arrested in Dundalk, County Louth on 7 November 2007 by detectives from the Criminal Assets Bureau on charges relating to alleged revenue offences.

Some of these were connected with exchange control offences, and a few concerned illegal immigrants in which the police also features; there were also the usual run of the mill revenue offences involving large consignments of spirits and tobacco goods, but towards the end of 1970 drug smuggling was rapidly increasing.