Man jailed for money laundering after €214,000 in cash was found

By Claire Henry & David O’Sullivan

A man who told gardaí he had more than €214,000 hidden in a concealed compartment in his car to pay off a drug debt has been jailed for a year and a half.

Killian Grehan (28) of Templeview Park, Clarehall, Dublin 13, appeared before Judge Orla Crowe in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday having pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering in the Coolock area of Dublin on March 26, 2022.

Detective Garda Enda Gormally told Edward Doocey BL, prosecuting, that garda surveillance had observed a vehicle in the Landon Road area of Dublin on the day in question.

He said a man unknown to gardaí walked from a house and handed the driver of a Hyundai car a brown envelope.

The driver was seen putting the envelope in the car and driving away.

The car was stopped in the Coolock area and Grehan was identified as the driver.

The car was searched, but no brown envelope could be found.

The car was brought to a local garda station and a concealed compartment was located.

Gardaí found three brown bags containing €214,800 in cash inside.

The court heard the floor panel of the car could be raised using a button under the steering wheel.

Grehan was arrested and interviewed.

During interview, he said: ‘I just want to take responsibility for what I did,’ adding, ‘I ran up a drug debt, and they threatened my family.’

The court was told that gardaí are satisfied that the money was the proceeds of criminal activity from an organised crime organisation and that Grehan is not linked to this crime unit.

The car had been registered to Grehan two months before the incident.

Det Gda Gormally agreed with Oisin Clarke BL, defending, that his client took responsibility for his role and had outlined his fear for his family.

He also accepted that Grehan had expressed genuine remorse and agreed with the finding of the probation report that he was at low risk of reoffending.

The garda agreed with counsel that there was a particular organisation under investigation by gardaí, and if someone were instructed to do something by this organisation, you would do it.

Mr Clarke said there had been many family tragedies which had escalated his client’s drug use.

He said his client did not take drugs socially; he took them to numb his pain and get through the day.

Counsel said his client was a hardworking man who started working at the age of seventeen.

He has undertaken courses and was in the third year of a degree course when this offence took place.

Letters from Grehan and his mother were handed into court expressing remorse and shame.

Mr Clarke described a probation reported handed in to the court as ‘extremely positive’.

He said the report highlights that Grehan has insight and takes responsibility for his role.

He has no previous convictions.

In sentencing, Judge Crowe said Grehan had been living an otherwise ‘good and law-abiding life’ but that there had to be a custodial sentence.

She said Grehan was ‘at the very bottom of the ladder’ but that this was a very serious matter.

Judge Crowe told the court the aggravating factors included the amount of cash involved, that he was using a car with a concealed compartment and that he was acting on behalf of an organized crime group.

She said the mitigating factors were that Grehan made admissions, submitted an early guilty plea, had no previous convictions and had a drug problem.

Judge Crowe sentenced Grehan to three years’ imprisonment, but suspended the final 18 months on strict conditions.