Courts / Dublin / Report
Money launderer for West Dublin crime gang caught red-handed with €270k
Summary
Patrick O'Reilly, 36, of Newcastle, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing €269,280 in cash found in his home and a breakfast cereal box in his work van on 14 June 2022. He also admitted a small quantity of cocaine and the use of the Signal app to facilitate money‑laundering. Gardaí said he claimed to owe a debt, but the judge noted he had €20,000 in savings, making the debt claim "hard to square." O'Reilly was one of six arrested in a West Dublin organised‑crime investigation involving drug importation and distribution. The court set a headline sentence of four years, reduced by one year for early plea, cooperation and first‑time offence, and ordered confiscation of the cash. The case was heard by Judge Orla Crowe, with the prosecution led by Edward Doocey BL and defence by John Berry BL.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Money launderer for West Dublin crime gang caught red-handed with €270k. Charges or matters: possessing €269,280 in various amounts of cash discovered in his home and in a breakfast cereal box in his work van on June 14, 2022. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 14, 2022 Incident
- June 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020 and 2021 Incident
- 2023-06-22 Publication
Why: O'Reilly also admitted possessing a small quantity of cocaine on the same date and having the Signal messaging app on a mobile phone in order to assist in committing money-laundering. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possessing €269,280 in various amounts of cash discovered in his home and in a breakfast cereal box in his work van on June 14, 2022 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said this explanation of a debt was "hard to square" given that O'Reilly had €20,000 in savings in a bank account at the time. "He was caught red-handed," said the judge. "He had been entrusted with a huge amount of money on behalf of a West Dublin-based gang operating internationally in the importation of drugs." Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of four years and described O'Reilly as "vital cog" in the money laundering operation, whose role was to count, bundle and seal significant amounts of cash with a vacuum packer. She reduced the sentence by one year based on several mitigating factors including O'Reilly's early plea in the District Court, his cooperation with gardaí and the fact that it was his first time to engage in this type of offending.
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