Case No. 1459Possession of cocaine for sale or supply, possession of ammunition and silencers, money laundering · Co. Cork · 10 Feb 2024
Cobh tree surgeon Gerard Hayes pleads guilty to over 20 charges including cocaine and money laundering
Gerard Hayes, 39, a former Royal Marine and tree surgeon from Cobh, Co Cork, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to over 20 charges including possession of cocaine for sale or supply, possession of ammunition and silencers, and money laundering, following three arrests in 2024 in which over €700,000 in cash and various quantities of cocaine were seized. Judge Helen Boyle made a forfeiture order of €745,000 and remanded him in custody for sentencing on 2 July 2025.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In courtnot reported
- Convicted25 Jun
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports20 statements extracted from the articles
- whatGerard Hayes, 39, of College Lawn, Cobh, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to over 20 charges. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe is a father of three. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe had close to €700,000 from his safety deposit box in the boot of his car. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe money was wrapped in vacuum packs and duct tape. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHe was paying €200 a month in rent for his council property. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA search of his home in Cobh found €10,050 in cash in the hot press. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatOn that occasion he was found in possession of €62,800 in cash. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatThe shed had a sophisticated state of the art alarm system he could monitor remotely. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMoney was concealed in timber blocks under tarpaulin in the shed. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatCCTV was seized showing him counting the money and placing it in the blocks. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA search of his home found 234 rounds of ammunition, a silencer rifle, pepper spray, 1,376 rifle primers and eight containers of gunpowder. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA house boat worth €86,000 funded by criminality was found and seized at the East Ferry in Cobh. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatHis firearms licence was revoked in 2022 and he was appealing the decision at the time of his arrest. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatTwo hair brushes were found modified to hide close to €3,000 worth of cocaine. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA deodorant canister in the glove box of his car contained 27 bags of cocaine worth €1,407 and €450 in cash. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereGardai stopped him as he left a shed he was renting in Cobh. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereThe majority of the firearms items were found in the attic. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenHe was stopped by gardai at Mespil Road in Dublin on 20 February 2024. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenHe was previously arrested on 10 February 2024 at Ballydaniel in Ballymore, Cobh, Co Cork. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenHe was arrested for a third time on 5 May 2024 after securing High Court bail. (irishmirror.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 25 Jun2025Tree surgeon pleads guilty to over 20 charges including drugs & money laundering
Details of three separate arrests in 2024, evidence of cash and cocaine seized, forfeiture order of €745,000, and background of the accused including his Royal Marines service and drug addiction.
accused, Gerard Hayes, 39, male, named, irish (judged from name)Gerard Hayes