An investigation into the Co Kerry crime group behind the biggest ever seizure of crystal meth in the history of the State revealed they were connected to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Nathan McDonnell was to be paid €150,000 by the Irish gang to store a machine containing the drugs at the Ballyseedy Garden Centre and arrange for its export to Australia, after encountering “fierce financial difficulties” with debts of €4m, the Special Criminal Court was also told.
He is now “effectively toxic” within his own community, the sentencing judges heard.
The non-jury court heard how operatives had to work over two days using angle grinders to open up the metal separating machine at the port of Cork, eventually recovering bags containing 564kg of methylamphetamine, better known as crystal meth, valued at €32.4 million.
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Last October, McDonnell (44) with an address at Ballyroe, Tralee, Co Kerry pleaded guilty to importing one or more controlled drugs, namely methylamphetamine, on October 16th, 2023 at Cork Port, Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 to 2019, made under section 5 Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and on or about the time the drug was imported the market value of the controlled drug amounted to €13,000 or more.
The father-of-three has also pleaded guilty that between October 16th, 2023 and February 12th, 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he did participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to, or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could, facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its members, to wit the importation, sale and supply of controlled drugs.
Detective Sergeant David Howard told the three-judge court on Monday that gardaí had been engaged for more than a year investigating an organised criminal group (OCG) operating in the Kerry district. The detective said it was a “transnational organised crime group” with one of its “logistical cells” in Kerry as well as other various cells operating in different countries.
Features of this OCG had “particular connections” with the Sinaloa Cartel, which the court heard are the “biggest drug cartel in the world and have capabilities to reach across continents”.
One of the locations searched was the “well-known and respectable” Ballyseedy Garden Centre and at the time, McDonnell was the chief executive of the centre and companies associated with it. The machine was stored at the garden centre in Tralee for several months before being transported to Cork, destined for export to Australia.
The former chief executive of Ballyseedy Restaurant Ltd in Tralee admitted to gardaí in his interviews that he stored the machine and was to be paid €150,000 for his part in the operation but he was unaware of the contents of the machine.
The court heard that McDonnell was “very pessimistic” about the future of his business and hoped to make €150,000 for storing the machine and its onward transmission to Australia. There was no evidence that the defendant received any of that money.
From October 2023, McDonnell’s involvement became “more pronounced” and he engaged with shipping companies to try and export the machine to Australia. There were communications from McDonnell seeking assistance to get a VAT number or a legitimate business in Australia for the machine to “appear to be shipped to”, the court heard.
McDonnell had arranged for “a false invoice” for the machine to be created as part of the export process. He had relied on family and friends to obtain the contact of a legitimate business owner in Australia. “Once in transit the plan was to switch the address, once it had cleared Irish customs,” the court heard.
The Special Criminal Court also heard that the shipping role to Australia was “predominantly” undertaken by McDonnell.
The three-judge court was also told that CCTV footage from February 2024 showed him operating a forklift to load the machine into a container to be sent to Cork harbour.
Lawyers for McDonnell told the non-jury court that their client was “an important cog in the machine” and his standing within the community will never be regained. He has no previous convictions.
Ms Justice Melanie Greally, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Grainne Malone, remanded McDonnell in custody and said the court hoped to finalise the case by the end of the month.
McDonnell’s co-accused James Leen will stand trial at the Special Criminal Court on October 6th, 2025.
Mr Leen (41) of Pilgrim Hill, Kilmorna, Listowel, Co Kerry faces five charges including one for directing the activities of a criminal organisation between February 7th, 2023 and February 16th, 2024.
Mr Leen is also charged with the importation of methylamphetamine, better known as crystal meth, at Cork Port, Ringaskiddy, Co Cork on October 16th, 2023.He is further charged with possession of crystal meth at Ballyseedy Garden Centre in Tralee between October 27th, 2023 and February 12th, 2024 contrary to S.15A and S.3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.
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