Convict-tagging gives Desmond rapid €25m gain by Nick Webb Sunday November 25 2007 BILLIONAIRE financier Dermot Desmond has seen the value of his stake in a US convict-tagging company quadruple in just eight months. Desmond's IIU is listed as holding a 9.84 per cent stake in Utah security firm Remote MDX. Shares in the business have sky-rocketed from just $1 in February to a record high of just over $4 last Friday, valuing the company at $494m (€335m). Desmond's stake is now worth around €33m -- an increase of nearly €25m in eight months. The financier's gains could be even higher, given that Remote MDX shares traded at below 25 cent back in 2005. The billionaire's involvement in the company has never been publicised before. Remote MDX is involved in GPS and location monitoring technologies for the law enforcement sector. It also develops monitoring systems for the elderly. Latest results from the firm show that its operating revenues soared a staggering 13-fold on the same quarter last year to over €2.2m. This hike in sales is down to the fact that its tagging products have been embraced by the law enforcement sector. Since January, some 250 security agencies have signed up to use its SecureAlert TrackerPal offender tracking devices. These include private probation firms. One of these, Florida based Court Program Inc, has agreed to tag a large number of the 7,000 offenders it monitors every day. Desmond's punt on Remote MDX may come close to matching the extraordinary returns generated on his investment in London City Airport. The IFSC based tycoon bought London City Airport for a modest €32m in 1995. He sold it to a US consortium for over €1bn last year. Desmond's portfolio ranges from health insurer Vivas to Glasgow Celtic football Club and US Homeland Security contractor Daon. He has also made a fortune by building up shares in Irish plcs and selling them on. He banked millions in profits from deals at Golden Vale and Greencore in recent years. - Nick Webb
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