Men hid €339,000 in car doors

TWO DUBLIN men who were intercepted as they attempted to drive on board a ferry bound for France were carrying €339,000 concealed…

TWO DUBLIN men who were intercepted as they attempted to drive on board a ferry bound for France were carrying €339,000 concealed in the door panels of their car, customs officers revealed at the weekend.

The two were named as Gerard Patrick Connolly (23), Quarryvale, Clondalkin, Dublin; and John Gerard Hackett (38), Whitechurch Road, Rathfarnham. They were detained at Rosslare on Friday.

The cash was seized by customs officers who questioned the two men for a number of hours with the assistance of Wexford gardaí.

At a special sitting of Gorey District Court on Friday, customs officers were granted a detention order under the Proceeds of Crime Act allowing them to hold the money for a period of three months. Neither of the men was present in court and a spokesman for the Revenue Commissioners said they were not detained.

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Customs officers and gardaí will now attempt to ascertain the origin of the money.

It is understood the men were known to gardaí and the seizure of the cash came as a result of risk profiling.

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien is an Irish Times journalist