A man described by a judge as a "serious player" in the east Cork drugs trade has been jailed for ten years.
Gerard Hayes was caught red-handed by gardaí removing close to €700,000 from a safety deposit box while on bail for firearms and money laundering offences, Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard.
He was stopped on Mespil Road in Dublin on 20 February 2024 following a targeted operation by gardai.
The 39-year-old, of College Lawn, Cobh in Co Cork, told them that the cash in his boot was his "life savings".
The father of three claimed the money originated from an inheritance and "all cash jobs" that he did on the side.
Detective Sergeant Eugene McCarthy said the part-time tree surgeon, who often did not work for months at a time, claimed there was €620,000 in the boot.
However, when the cash was counted, it totalled €672,000. Hayes was paying just €200 a month in rent for a council property when he was arrested.
Det Sgt McCarthy said the way the money was vacuum-wrapped and marked bore "all the hallmarks of drug dealing."
Gardaí found €10,050 in cash in the hot press during a search of his home in Cobh.
Detective Garda James McCarthy gave evidence that Hayes had been previously arrested as part of a major operation on 10 February 2024 at Ballydaniel, Ballymore, Cobh in Co Cork.
On that occasion, he was found to be in possession of €62,800 in cash.
Gardaí approached Hayes as he was leaving a shed that he was renting in Cobh.
He had installed a sophisticated state-of-the-art alarm system that he was able to monitor remotely.
During a search of the shed, gardaí found money concealed in timber blocks under tarpaulin.
A search of his home in Cobh was carried out following this arrest.
Gardaí discovered 234 rounds of ammunition, a rifle silencer, pepper spray, 1,376 rifle primers and eight containers of gunpowder. The majority of the items were found in the attic.
A house boat, worth €86,000 and funded by criminality, was subsequently seized at East Ferry in Cobh.
Det Gda McCarthy said the accused had his firearms licence revoked in 2022 and was appealing this decision at the time of his arrest.
Hayes was arrested for a third time on 5 May 2024 in Cobh when he was on High Court bail.
Garda Dylan Murphy said that a modified deodorant canister was found in his car. The canister contained a small amount of cash and cocaine worth €1,407.
Garda enquiries via the Revenue Commissioners revealed that Hayes earned €245,892 over a 20 year period from 2002 to 2024 for his legitimate work in various trades.
He pleaded guilty to over 20 charges including possession of cocaine for sale or supply and possession of large quantities of ammunition and silencers for firearms. He also admitted to counts related to drug dealing and money laundering.
Senior counsel Jane Hyland, defending, said that her client was remorseful for his behaviour.
"He is very stressed and upset at the position he has put his family in. He is resolved to not ever again engage in criminality."
Ms Hyland said that Hayes was taken into care at a young age. He had a good job history which included work as a diving instructor and a period in the UK Royal Marines, she added.
The value of cash, cars, a boat and other property deemed to be the proceeds of criminal conduct was €745,000. Judge Helen Boyle made a forfeiture order to the State in relation to these items.
The judge commended gardaí in Cobh and Midleton "on a very successful operation" that led to the jailing of a "serious player in the sale, supply and distribution of drugs in east Cork".
She noted the serious impact that incarceration would have on Hayes' family before sentencing him to 12 years in prison, suspending the final two years of the term.
