A 53 year old Limerick man has appeared before the Special Criminal Court in relation to money laundering offences after the seizure of large sums of cash at his home in June, 2000.
The Limerick Leader reported that Dermot McManus, who has an address in Keating Park, Killalee, Limerick, pleaded guilty last July to three charges of money laundering with the court hearing he had no history of paying taxes and that he had hidden tens of thousands of euro in his socks and jacket,
McManus was arrested as part of an operation by An Garda Síochána code named Operation Coronation which was brought about to tackle organised crime in Limerick.
The court of three justices heard that McManus, who has 22 previous convictions, was able to pay off a mortgage on his house. Cash in the amounts of €28,550 and £11,795 were found in two socks and a jacket pocket in his home.
At the time of the Garda search which resulted in the recovery of the case Revenue and social welfare records showed that McManus had been in receipt of a weekly payment of €230 of disability benefit.
The prosecution for the state represented by Dominic McGinn SC, argued that the cash is the proceeds of organised crime although McManus has claimed that €9,550 was from the proceeds of working in markets and that €10,000 was proceeds from the sale of a van with his Senior Counsel arguing that his client is blind in one eye and has Chron’s disease.
Judge Paul Burns, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Marie Keane, remanded McManus on continuing bail until the 22nd of January, 2024 for a sentencing hearing.
In September 2021 Gardaí announced they had arrested 12 people in Limerick as part of Operation Coronation.
The operations included “in excess of 300 personnel from the Limerick Division supported by the Criminal Assets Bureau, Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau, the Emergency Response Unit, the Armed Response Unit, Regional Dog Unit, Air Support Unit, members from the Irish Defence Forces and Revenue and Customs carried out a total of 65 searches.” An Garda Síochana said.
The 65 searches took place at dwellings, businesses and on land near the outskirts of Limerick City with the resulting seizure of cash valued at €62,500, 5 designer watches, a BMW, a VW Tiguan and a Range Rover, 8 horses, Cannabis Herb with an estimated value of €8,000 , and a horse box valued at €10,000.
At the time of the seizures 6 financial accounts with a total value in excess of €295,000 were frozen with a total value in excess of €295,000.
Documentation was also seized in the operation and sent to the Criminal Assets Bureau for examination.