A man accused of being a key member of an “extremely sophisticated” eastern European crime gang has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged in connection to the alleged theft of property worth €300,000 worth.
Thirty-nine-year-old Andrius Parfionovas, 34 Oldbridge Park, Griffeen Valley, Lucan, Dublin, was brought before a special sitting of Longford District Court on Sunday.
The Lithuanian national was charged with ten counts of handling and possession of stolen property at various commercial and residential properties in Longford and Dublin.
They included 14 outboard Yamaha engines. 14 Hummingbird fish finders, four marine radios, 4 propellers, 8 GPS systems, two wave boards, and £3,115 in cash, amounting to a total of £48,000.
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Those items, the court heard, had been allegedly stolen from a house in Omagh, Co Tyrone barely 12 hours before the accused was arrested by gardaí at a property he had been renting in Granard, Co Longford.
Mr Parfionovas was further charged with handling a stolen Renault Master Van valued at €20,000 which had been fitted with false plates after it had also been allegedly stolen from a property at Edenderry, Co Offaly on July 25.
The accused was further charged with handling a string of alleged stolen car components, among which included parts belonging to a BMW M5 181 registered car valued at €90,000 after it too was allegedly stolen in Navan, Co Meath on July 5.
Mr Parfionovas was arrested by gardaí at a property being rented by the accused in Granard, Co Longford on Tuesday and detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.
During a near two-hour contested bail hearing, presiding Judge Bernadette Owens said when gardaí carried out a search of Mr Parfionovas’ leased property in Granard, they found the accused washing clothes in a washing machine, hours after the burglary in Omagh had been reported.
He said a number of cloned registration plates and keys linked to a number of other properties were found including those belonging to a commercial premises in Lacken, Edgeworthstown, Co Longford and a unit at Citywest, Dublin 24.
Detective Sgt Brennan said Mr Parfionovas claimed to be employed as a painter with a company that has links both in this jurisdiction and in Lithuania.
However, he said gardaí harboured concerns as to the authenticity of the company cited by the accused, adding enquiries were under way to establish alleged links between it and a “highly sophisticated” organised crime group.
The court was further told €65,000 in a bank account Mr Parfionovas shared with his partner had been seized.
During further searches, garda uniforms and flashing lights, GPS signal blockers and work stations suspected of being used for the purpose of an organised “chop shop” were found.
Inspector Paddy McGirl said the State would be objecting to bail on a number of grounds, most notably the seriousness of the charges before the court.
He also highlighted fears Mr Parfionovas was a flight risk while there were also concerns that property allegedly stolen as a result of the investigation’s findings could be disposed of.
In defence, solicitor Fiona Baxter said her client upheld the right to the presumption of innocence.
She refuted claims by the State Mr Parfionovas had no ties to the local community, adding his long-term partner who is six months pregnant boasted a 16-year work history with a creche in Dublin.
Judge Owens denied bail and remanded Mr Parfionovas in custody to appear back before a sitting of Longford District Court via video link on Tuesday.