Assets linked to alleged Kinahan associate deemed proceeds of crime by High Court
Assets belonging to an alleged Kinahan organised crime group associate who once resided in an affluent south Dublin suburb have been deemed by the High Court to be the proceeds of crime.
The Criminal Assets Bureau claim Ciaran O'Sullivan (50), who previously resided on Adelaide Road in Glenageary, is known to multiple law enforcement agencies as a transnational drug trafficker for over 20 years, and has lived a lavish lifestyle despite having no legitimate source of income.
Advertisement
The bureau cites Mr O'Sullivan's daughters' attendance at an exclusive Swiss finishing school, Surval Montreux, as an indicator of this lifestyle.
On Wednesday, barrister Jim Benson, for the bureau, sought orders related to assets linked to Mr O'Sullivan, which were seized during searches of properties connected to him in June 2020.
Among the assets seized were various devices recovered during his Glenageary address, including iPhones, Google Pixel phones and Samsung tablets.
It is the bureau's case that Mr O'Sullivan was involved in the supply of EncroChat devices, and that these devices were held by Mr O'Sullivan to this end.
Advertisement
EncroChat is a now-defunct encrypted messaging service favoured by those involved in organised crime.
Other items seized included luxury watches, a Louis Vuitton briefcase, €3,060 cash and a gold bullion cold.
Mr Justice Alexander Owens said he was satisfied these assets were the proceeds of crime, granting the orders sought by the bureau under section 3 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 1996.
The judge refused to make the order sought in relation to €16,350 held in a bank account held under Mr O'Sullivan's aunt's name.
Advertisement
The court heard evidence that this account was used to pay for Mr O'Sullivan's daughter's Swiss school fees.
Ireland
Members of Kinahan crime gang should be 'very worr...
Read More
Mr Justice Owens said the net effect of granting orders sought relating to the bank account would be to take money from the pension of an elderly woman, and that this would be 'unfair'.
In making his orders, Mr Justice Owens noted evidence submitted on Mr O'Sullivan's connections to a Chinese money laundering gang, who have provided services to the Kinahan organised crime group.
In the 2000s, Mr O'Sullivan was targeted and arrested in joint Irish and Dutch police operations focusing on the activities of the Kinahan organised crime group, the bureau allege.
Mr O'Sullivan has not lived in Ireland for some time, the court heard. He has no criminal convictions in Ireland, but was convicted of two separate drug related offences in Spain and the Netherlands.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Gardaí ask people to stop sharing videos after woman hit by truck in Gorey
Gardaí have asked people to stop sharing pictures and videos from the scene after a woman, aged in her 60s, was hit by a truck in Gorey, Co Wexford on Friday. The incident took place on Gorey Main Street at 10.45am on Friday morning. Advertisement The woman was seriously injured and taken to St Vincent's University Hospital for treatment. 'We would urge those in possession of videos and photos of this incident to be respectful to those affected by not sharing them online or in messaging platforms,' a Garda spokesperson said. 'Instead, please contact Gorey Garda Station on 0539430690 if you have information, recordings, CCTV or dashcam footage relative to the incident.' Local Fine Gael TD Brian Brennan said: "There were reports that unfortunately people were taking photos and videos at the scene. We ask that these are not shared on social media. If anyone witnessed the accident please contact Gorey Gardaí at 0539430690."
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Border Force seizes 2.4 tonnes of cocaine in one of UK's largest-ever busts
Border Force officers have seized a staggering 2.4 tonnes of cocaine, with an estimated street value of almost £100 million, in one of the largest drug busts seen in years. The colossal haul, valued at £96 million, was discovered earlier in June, hidden beneath containers on a vessel arriving at London Gateway port from Panama. Specialist officers, acting on intelligence, worked with the port operator to move 37 large containers, ultimately uncovering the illicit shipment. This significant interception marks the sixth-largest cocaine seizure ever recorded in the UK. 'Drugs gangs trying to import illegal substances into the UK are a blight on society and we will leave no stone left unturned in our pursuit of organised crime gangs inflicting addiction, misery and death upon Britain's communities,' Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra said. 'Well done to Border Force Maritime officers on a hugely successful operation, which has struck a major blow against the criminals threatening our country.' Cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales rose by 31 per cent between 2022 and 2023, the Home Office said. Border Force Maritime director Charlie Eastaugh said: 'This seizure – one of the largest of its kind – is just one example of how dedicated Border Force maritime officers remain one step ahead of the criminal gangs who threaten our security. 'Our message to these criminals is clear – more than ever before, we are using intelligence and international law enforcement co-operation to disrupt and dismantle your operations.' Container ships are one of the main methods used by gangs to smuggle cocaine into the UK, Mr Eastaugh told The Times. Meanwhile, a haul of 20 firearms, 320 rounds of ammunition, 170kg of ketamine and 4,000 MDMA pills were found in a lorry at Dover Port. National Crime Agency investigators estimate the street value of the ketamine would have been around £4.5 million and £40,000 for the MDMA. The driver, a 34-year-old Tajikstan national, was arrested on suspicion of smuggling the illegal items.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How children's social worker, 27, led a double life running underground drug and gun network... and made vulnerable kids DELIVER for her
Dedicating her career to supporting vulnerable children, Chloe Scott was once a pillar of her community. The London social worker, 27, boasted a dazzling CV centred around her experience in family safeguarding, protecting youngsters from harm. But in reality Scott was living a double life, running a large-scale drug and firearm supply network across the capital with her right-hand man Miles Addy. The pair sold cocaine and dangerous weapons across London and the south-east, including a gun used in a fatal shooting. Most shockingly, under the guise of a person who cared for children, Scott was secretly ordering a 15-year-old boy to sell and transport drugs on her behalf. This week she began a 12-year prison sentence after her twisted enterprise was exposed when the teen was stopped by police outside Tower Hill station in December 2022. Officers searched the youngster and found drugs and a mobile phone Scott used to instructing him how to help run her drug network. Armed Met Police officers stopped Scott's car in June 2023, finding around half a kilo of cocaine and five large hunting knives in her possession. As the investigation intensified, detectives discovered Scott was in regular contact with Addy, a convicted criminal in jail for a firearms offence. Addy was found to be directing Scott to various homes to deliver firearms and drugs to their customers. In a harrowing development, detectives later found one of the weapons was a firearm linked to a serious murder investigation. Meanwhile, another lethal firearm connected back to Scott and Addy was recovered during a warrant in November 2023. Joy Hyde-Coleman, 29, from Bow, was found to be in possession of the firearm and was later sentenced to five years in jail. Scott and Addy were charged in August 2024, as officers worked with authorities to suspend Scott from her trusted role as a social worker. Scott worked at various local authorities throughout her career, including a stunt at Bexley Council in south London, in 2023. 'Chloe Scott was a social worker supplied to us by an agency for a short period. 'We understand she has also worked at other local authorities,' a council spokesperson said. Scott pleaded guilty on the first day of her trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, while her accomplice Addy pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. Detective Inspector Damian Hill, from the Met's Specialist Crime team, said: 'As police officers we all too often see the devastating consequences of drugs and weapons on the streets of London. These dangerous offenders helped fuel violent crime and we won't stand for it. 'The overwhelming evidence we gathered, supported by British Transport Police and HM Prison and Probation Service left them with little choice but to admit to their offending and they will both now face lengthy prison sentences. 'Across the Met we remain committed to tackling violence and our hard work is paying off. Homicide and knife crime is down - and seen here we are also dismantling serious and organised crime groups.' Scott previously pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, two counts of selling or transferring a firearm, one count of conspiracy to possess firearms, one count of conspiracy to possess ammunition, and one count of possession of hunting knives. She also pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary cruelty to a dog, showing just how far removed Scott really was from her caring disguise as a social worker. Meanwhile, Addy pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, one count of conspiracy to possess firearms, and a further count of conspiracy to possess ammunition at an earlier hearing at the same court and was recalled to prison.
