€870k in drug money stashed at rural property

A Dublin man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment following a money-laundering conviction at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Jonathon O'Connor, aged 38, pleaded guilty to concealing over €870,000 in cash at a rural property in Dromore, Bailieboro, Co Cavan on 28 July 2020. During a garda surveillance operation at the address, officers discovered €870,620 in euro and £14,890 in sterling, distributed across 21 separate cash exhibits found in sheds and outhouses. O'Connor, from Elm Road, Donnycarney, Dublin, immediately disclosed a further €80,000 in his vehicle. When questioned, he declined to identify the money's owner, stating his life would be endangered. He admitted transporting and storing the funds but offered no explanation for an apparent obligation to a third party. Judge Martin Nolan accepted O'Connor's full cooperation and clean criminal record but determined that custodial sentencing was warranted given the serious nature of money laundering.