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Criminal gets 11 years after being caught with €220k in cash, drugs and weapons
Summary
Paul Keenan, 43, of Lucan, was sentenced to eleven years in prison after Gardaí seized €220,000, drugs, weapons, luxury goods and about ten mobile phones, including encrypted BQ Aquaris models, during searches of his home and a van. He pleaded guilty to possessing the money on 13 March 2019 and 31 March 2021 and to possessing drugs on those dates. The court heard that the van, stopped at a speed check, contained cocaine, cash, and a white bag of €155,000, while Keenan's house held heart‑shaped tablets, pepper spray, a stun gun, ammunition, and designer items. Keenan admitted he was holding money for third parties and denied ever touching a gun. Judge Martin Nolan described him as intelligent and skilled but imposed consecutive five‑ and six‑year sentences for his high level of involvement in money‑laundering and drug offences. The seized money will be frozen for seven years before forfeiture.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Criminal gets 11 years after being caught with €220k in cash, drugs and weapons. Charges or matters: possessing the money on March 13, 2019 and 31 March 2021, along with possessing quantities of drugs on the same occasions. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- March 13, 2019 Incident
- 31 March 2021 Incident
- March 31, 2021 Other
- 2022-11-10 Publication
Why: However, Judge Nolan said Keenan deserved a long sentence because his level of involvement in the money-laundering operation was very high, and handed down two sentences of five and six years, to run consecutively. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possessing the money on March 13, 2019 and 31 March 2021, along with possessing quantities of drugs on the same occasions (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence on Wednesday afternoon at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan described Keenan as "intelligent, accomplished and mature" and noted that he had had a good education and was a skilled and useful employee. However, Judge Nolan said Keenan deserved a long sentence because his level of involvement in the money-laundering operation was very high, and handed down two sentences of five and six years, to run consecutively. "He made decisions, he took drugs, he incurred debt.
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