A CAVAN man who agreed to transport more than a quarter of a million euro between criminal gangs in Dublin and the Netherlands has been sentenced to three years in jail.
Paul Grassick (39), Keenagh, Ballyjamesduff, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to knowingly possessing cash from the proceeds of crime at Lucan Road, Palmerstown, on June 6th, 2011.
The court heard Grassick, who worked as a haulier, is one of the first people to be jailed under new legislation dealing with proceeds of crime.
Det Garda William Armstrong told Paul Carroll, prosecuting, that a van driven by Grassick had been under surveillance by the Garda National Drugs Unit. He said he saw Grassick moving a bag from a van into his own before driving off towards Blanchardstown.
Gardaí stopped the vehicle and two bags containing a total of €262,520 were found. Grassick also had €2,000 on his person.
During the first Garda interview, Grassick denied any knowledge of what was in the bags or how they got into the van.
He later changed his story and said he was transporting the cash between criminal gangs in Dublin and the Netherlands.
He said he was given the cash along with a phone and a contact number and was going to transport the cash by ferry. He said he agreed to transfer the money because of mounting credit card bills and mortgage payments.
Judge Patrick McCartan said this was one of the first cases falling under “long overdue legislation” which deals with the proceeds of crime.
He said the case involved “a vast sum of money to be moved from one criminal gang here to another in Holland and it was done for gain”.
However, he accepted it was “ill thought out” and treated the crime as a first offence.
He suspended the final 18 months of the three-year term.