A 34-YEAR-OLD Cork man, described by gardaí as “a professional gambler”, has been jailed for six years after he pleaded guilty to a drugs-related offence and two counts of laundering over €60,000 in crime-related cash.
Aidan Desmond, Station Cross, Ballincollig, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday to aiding and abetting Michael Leahy possess €280,000 worth of cocaine for sale or supply at Clashanure, Ovens, on August 4th, 2005.
Desmond also pleaded guilty to possessing €32,500 in cash at Clashanure on the same occasion and to possessing €30,000 in cash at City West golfing apartments, Saggart, Co Dublin, on the same date, knowing or believing both sums to be the proceeds of crime.
Det Sgt Lar O’Brien told the court how the Cork City Divisional Drugs Squad had launched an operation in May 2005, which resulted in surveillance being mounted on a then 32-year-old carpenter, Michael Leahy, of Coolcrean Park, Killarney, Co Kerry.
Officers followed Leahy on August 4th as he drove from Killarney to Cork and they noted that he slowed down approaching Glenflesk to allow another car, driven by Desmond, pull in in front of him. They travelled together to the outskirts of Macroom.
Leahy stopped outside Macroom and Desmond travelled on to the town, but they linked up again in Macroom and travelled in convoy, with Desmond leading until they reached Clashanure, where gardaí moved in and found €280,000 worth of cocaine in Leahy’s van.
Desmond dropped his mobile phone in a pool of water when he was stopped by gardaí but experts were able to establish that he had rung Leahy a number of times that day and in the preceding days, said Det Sgt O’Brien.
They also found €2,500 on Desmond as well as a further €30,000 in the glove compartment of his car. A follow-up search of an apartment he was renting in Dublin led to the discovery of another €30,000, all of which gardaí believe were proceeds of crime.
Det Sgt O’Brien agreed that it might have been a difficult case for the State to prove against Desmond, whom he described as “a professional gambler” who had not worked for a number of years nor drawn any social welfare payments.
Judge Con Murphy was told that Desmond’s co-accused, Leahy, had already received an eight-year jail sentence for possessing the €280,000 worth of cocaine found in his van.