Mother and daughter sentenced for possession of the proceeds of crime

By  Eimear Dodd

A mother and daughter have been sentenced for possession of the proceeds of crime including hundreds of thousands in cash and 18kg of gold bullion worth over €1.3 million. 

 Svethana Bahtijeva (39) of Earlsfort Court, Lucan pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of the proceeds of criminal conduct last September.

 Her mother, Jelene Idele (59) with an address at Glenbourne Walk, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of the proceeds of crime.

 She further pleaded to one count of being the occupier of a property in Hillview Grove, Dundrum and knowingly permitting the possession of cocaine and MDMA on September 28 last.

 The two women have no previous convictions. Bahtijeva has been in custody since her arrest in September 2024.

 Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Bahtjeva to five years’ imprisonment while her mother Idele was given a four-year suspended sentence.

 Detective Garda Sean McEnroe outlined to David Staunton BL, prosecuting, that a bench warrant has been issued for a co-accused, Bahtijeva’s husband, who is understood to have left the jurisdiction.

He said Bahtijeva’s husband is 17 years old than her and from Kazakhstan, where it is believed he has returned to. 

Information came to the attention of gardai about his possible involvement in the sale and supply of drugs.

Their home in Earlsfort Court was searched on September 26, 2024 and five keys were located.

Three of these keys were for safety deposit boxes while the others were for two safes, which were later found in Idele’s home.

When gardai searched the safety deposit boxes, they found over 18kg of gold bullion, valued at €1.3 million, over €399,00 in cash and various false identification documents belonging to the male co-accused.

Items found in the boxes included debit cards, authenticity documents for the gold and other documents relating to Bahtijeva’s husband.

Bahtijeva and Idele were responsible for opening the safety deposit boxes,  the key holders and the only ones who could access them, the court was told.

Bahtijeva’s home was searched again on September 29, 2024 and over €58,000 in cash was found in a lunch box concealed behind the stairs, along with further documents. Idele’s house was searched on the same day and  three safes were found in the property.

2.6kg of cocaine, valued at €187,000 and €26,000 of MDMA were found after the safes were forced open along with other documents. Bahtijeva was arrested on September 30 and interviewed 6 times.

She told gardai in a prepared statement that she moved to Ireland from Latvia when she was 19 and met her husband shortly after arriving.

She said they married in 2007 and her husband initially used a false name. She told gardai she felt under his control and he directed her to open the safety deposit box in 2019.

Bahtijeva said she put cash and gold into the box on his behalf. She said she was aware the house and two cars were paid for using the proceeds of crime, but was not aware of the cash found in the house during the second search.

When interviewed by gardai, Idele said her son-in-law asked her to store a safe, containing documents, in her home and denied any knowledge of the drugs She said that she agreed when he said he was going to buy a car and register it in her name.

She denied any knowledge of the drugs. Idele told gardai she was in fear of her son in law, never liked him and thought he was suspicious and involved in illegal activity.

Det Gda McEnroe agreed with Dominic McGinn SC, for Bahtijeva, that his client’s husband disappeared after he was granted bail, partly to care for their two children. It was further accepted that her account of the situation was corroborated by what her husband said.

Bahtijeva’s husband told gardai that his wife didn’t know about the drugs in her mother’s house, was not a drug dealer and that while his wife opened the accounts, they belonged to him. The garda accepted that Bahtijeva was co-operative, has had no contact with her husband and that the marriage is at an end.

It was also agreed that Bahtijeva offered to sign guilty pleas to the money laundering offences at the District Court, but this was rejected by the Director of Public Prosecutions. She was then charged with offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act, which are no longer being pursued.

Det Gda McEnroe agreed with Michael Bowman SC, for Idele, that his client said she had longstanding difficulties with her son-in-law and considered him dangerous and potentially violent. He noted there was no independent verification of this and no complaints had been made to gardai.

The witness accepted that Idele said she was unaware of the contents of the boxes. He added she told gardai she wasn’t aware the boxes were in her house when they were in plain sight in the room.

Bahtijeva’s husband told gardai when he was interviewed that he brought the drugs to Idele’s house and that she knew nothing about him. He also took ownership of the drugs, telling gardai he had them for sale or supply.

He also took responsibility for the cash and told gardai the gold came from Kazakhstan. The garda agreed with Mr Bowman that it appears the gold came from Germany or Switzerland. 

The garda also agreed that Idele has been caring for her daughter’s children while she is in custody and there has been no contact with her son-in-law.

He also accepted that Idele acknowledged she had been reckless and said that she never could have expected that the safety deposit boxes would be used for criminal activity.

Mr McGinn said Bahtijeva accepts responsibility for her role, which appears to have been to facilitate her husband’s “considerable criminality”.

He submitted her moral wrongdoing is reduced as her actions were “at the behest” of her husband, who “appears on the evidence to be a violent, controlling man, well entrenched in significant criminality”,

“This sentence hearing is a bit like Hamlet without the prince. The main player is not available to the court to sentence”.

He said his client consistently denied any involvement in drugs offending, and was always willing to plead guilty to the money laundering offences.

He said this was her first time in custody and she was finding it difficult. Bahtijeva has a good work history and is undergoing counselling for domestic abuse. 

Mr McGinn noted this client had written a letter of apology to the court, adding that it asks for leniency for her mother, who is currently looking after her children. Other letters from family and friends were handed to the court.

Mr Bowman submitted that his client’s actions were reckless, but she was unaware of the contents of the safe. He submitted if she had been aware, she would have tried to get rid of it in the hiatus between the search of the daughter’s property and her own.

He said she has a long and good work history, with references handed in from employers and friends. Mr Bowman said Idele has prioritised her daughter and her grandchildren.

He noted Bahtijeva’s husband has absconded and “prioritised his liberty over the welfare of his children”.

Judge Nolan said the main culprit “was not before the court at present” and may never be before the court as he has departed for Kazakhstan.

The judge said Bhatjeva was an active participant and benefitted directly or indirectly. He set a global sentence of nine years but said there was strong mitigation in the case and handed down a five-year jail term and backdated it to October 2024 for time spent in custody.

Judge Nolan noted Idele and was acting as a key-holder as she accepted safe boxes and “she must have known” there was something illicit in them. He noted she was minding her two grandchildren and “obviously their welfare is a matter this court does and should take into account”.

Judge Nolan said despite her “serious wrongdoing” there was strong mitigation and he was not going to impose a custodial term.  He said the fact she was custodian of those two children “would be the deciding factor” and handed down a four-year suspended sentence.