Ireland Case No. 26558Money laundering · Co. Louth · 11 May 2020
Man jailed for six years for money laundering in Drogheda
On 11 May 2020, man Jason Reed, 40, was caught with €289,770 and £62,025 in a padlocked blue Nike bag at the Spar car park on Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth, after handing it to Catherine Dawson, 45, a care worker, who was driving a white Hyundai. Reed, described as a trusted mid-to-high level member of a transnational criminal organisation, pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to seven years at the Special Criminal Court in July 2021. Dawson, the then partner of co-accused Thomas Rooney, pleaded guilty and received a three-year nine-month sentence fully suspended for five years in January 2021. man Thomas Rooney, 41, who was also found in possession of the cash, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in January 2022, with the court ordering the seizure of his Mercedes in June 2022.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court20 Jul
- Verdictnot reported
- Sentenced5 Jul
5 reports
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports- What happened
- On 11 May 2020, Reed was caught with €289,770 and £62,025 (or £65,025) in a padlocked blue Nike bag at the Spar car park, Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth, after handing it to Dawson in a white Hyundai.
- Reed was driving a Passat adapted with a remote-controlled secret compartment between the back seats and boot.
- A further €32,330 and £390, a vacuum packing machine, five luxury watches valued at €51,000, an encrypted Aquarius phone, and a mobile home purchased for €17,500 in cash were found at Reed's home and a mobile home in Courtown, Co Wexford.
- Rooney was found in possession of the blue Nike bag containing €289,770 and £65,025, and also pleaded guilty to possessing €254,840 in a black holdall and €7,650 at North Road, Drogheda.
- A search of Rooney's home uncovered an encrypted Aquarius phone, six fake designer bags, 10 watches, two signal blockers, and a holiday receipt for Orlando, Florida.
- Where
- The incident occurred at the Spar car park on Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth.
- When
- The incident occurred on 11 May 2020.
- Investigation
- Reed was under surveillance as part of an investigation into a transnational criminal group suspected of money laundering, and Rooney was arrested by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in May 2020.
- Charges
- Reed pleaded guilty to money laundering and possessing proceeds of crime at the car park and at his home; Rooney pleaded guilty to offences under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Act 2010; Dawson pleaded guilty to two counts.
- In court
- The cases were heard at the Special Criminal Court presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt sitting with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh.
- Sentence
- Reed was sentenced to seven years concurrent in July 2021; Dawson received a three-year nine-month sentence fully suspended for five years in January 2021; Rooney was sentenced to six years in January 2022.
- Other details
- The court ordered the seizure of Rooney's Mercedes S350, valued at approximately €50,000, in June 2022.
104 statements extracted from the articles
- whatReed had no source of income (rte.ie)
- whatReed was not previously known to gardaí for involvement in organised crime (rte.ie)
- whatOfficers discovered luxury Rolex watches, an encrypted Aquarius phone, a mobile home bought for cash, and a secret compartment in his car (rte.ie)
- whatReed was caught with €289,770 and Stg £62,025 (€70,207) in cash in a blue Nike bag (rte.ie)
- whatAnother €32,330 and Stg £390 was found at Reed's home (rte.ie)
- whatA vacuum packing machine and bags similar to those the cash was in were found at his home (rte.ie)
- whatReed had a hidden compartment in his bedroom locker (rte.ie)
- whatReed went to the Spar shop on Donore Road and met the driver of a black Mercedes (rte.ie)
- whatReed was driving a Passat with the secret compartment (rte.ie)
- whatReed handed a padlocked bag of cash to Catherine Dawson, a care worker (rte.ie)
- whatReed has three children and a partner (rte.ie)
- whatReed has not paid PRSI since 2008 (rte.ie)
- whatReed was in possession of €289,770 in euro and £62,025 in cash in a blue Nike bag. (kildarenow.com)
- what€32,330 and £390 was found at Reed's home address. (kildarenow.com)
- whatReed was driving a Passat and met the driver of a black Mercedes at the car park. (kildarenow.com)
- whatReed passed a blue duffle bag to Catherine Dawson, who was driving a white Hyundai. (kildarenow.com)
- whatThe blue holdall had a padlock on it and contained €289,770 and £65,000 in vacuum-packed plastic bags. (kildarenow.com)
- whatThe Passat had been adapted with a false compartment between the back seats and the boot operated by remote control. (kildarenow.com)
- whatFive high-end watches, four of which were Rolexes, were found at Reed's home and valued at €51,000. (kildarenow.com)
- whatA further Rolex watch worth upwards of €3,500 and a quantity of cash were found at a mobile home in Riverchapel, Courtown, Co Wexford. (kildarenow.com)
- whatThe mobile home was purchased for €17,500 and paid for in cash despite Reed having no source of income. (kildarenow.com)
- whatReed was caught with more than €350,000 in crime cash. (extra.ie)
- whatReed was found to have five luxury Rolex watches. (extra.ie)
- whatReed had an encrypted Aquarius phone. (extra.ie)
- whatReed was in possession of €289,770 and £62,025 (€70,207) in cash in a blue Nike bag. (extra.ie)
- whatRooney was found in possession of €289,770 and £65,025 in a blue Nike bag (irishtimes.com)
- whatA Nike sports bag contained €289,770 in cash (irishtimes.com)
- whatRooney told gardaí he was to be paid €1,200 for his part in moving the cash (irishtimes.com)
- whatRooney told gardaí he was in fear for his life when he committed the crime (irishtimes.com)
- whatRooney was found in possession of €289,770 and £65,025 in crime cash in a blue Nike holdall at Spar car park, Donore Road, Drogheda, on 11 May 2020 (irishtimes.com)
- whatRooney also pleaded guilty to possessing €254,840 in a black holdall bag at Donore Road (irishtimes.com, dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whatRooney pleaded guilty to possessing €7,650 at North Road, Drogheda, on the same date (irishtimes.com, dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whatA search of Rooney's home uncovered an encrypted Aquarius phone, fake designer bags, luxury watches and two signal blockers (irishtimes.com, dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whatSix fake designer bags valued at €5,450, €1,970 in cash, 10 watches valued at €9,200 and two signal blockers were found in the home (irishtimes.com)
- whatA holiday receipt for Orlando, Florida, for July 2020, worth €8,485, was found in the home (irishtimes.com)
- whatReed placed a blue holdall into a Hyundai driven by Dawson (irishtimes.com)
- whatDet Garda Mary Moore observed Rooney counting some of the €7,650 from the envelope on his lap (irishtimes.com)
- whatRooney was found in possession of €289,770 and £65,025 (€77,000) in crime cash in a blue Nike holdall. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whatGardaí seized a black Mercedes S350 that Rooney used as part of his limousine business. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whatRooney admitted counting €7,650 in crime cash from an envelope in the vehicle. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whatRooney sent co-ordinating texts from a phone plugged into the car. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whereJason Reed is from Maelduin, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath (rte.ie)
- whereThe cash was found in a car park on Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth (rte.ie)
- whereThe cash was found at a car park on Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth. (kildarenow.com)
- whereReed is of Maelduin, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath. (extra.ie)
- whereThe cash was found at Spar, Donore Road, Drogheda, Co Louth (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe cash was found at Spar car park, Donore Road, Drogheda. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- whenReed arrived at the Spar car park at 5.55pm on the day of the incident. (kildarenow.com)
- whenThe incident occurred on 11 May 2020 (irishtimes.com)
- whenReed was seen pulling into the car park on Donore Road at 5.55pm on 11 May 2020 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe cash was found on May 11, 2020. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- investigationReed had been put under surveillance as part of an investigation into a transnational criminal group suspected of money laundering (rte.ie)
- investigationGardaí followed Reed when he left his home on 11 May 2020 (rte.ie)
- investigationReed was put under surveillance as part of an investigation into a transnational criminal group suspected of money laundering. (kildarenow.com)
- investigationRooney was arrested in May 2020 by the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (irishtimes.com)
- investigationReed was the main focus of the Garda operation on 11 May 2020 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationDawson was stopped by Det Garda Mulligan who discovered both bags of cash in the car (irishtimes.com)
- chargeReed pleaded guilty to money laundering and possessing the proceeds of crime. (kildarenow.com)
- chargeReed pleaded guilty to money laundering and possessing the proceeds of crime at a car park on Donore Road, Drogheda, Co. Louth. (extra.ie)
- chargeReed also pleaded guilty to money laundering at his home address after €32,330 and £390 (€441) was found there on May 11 of last year. (extra.ie)
- chargeRooney was also charged with possessing a black bag containing €254,840 in cash (irishtimes.com)
- chargeRooney was further charged with possession of €7,650 at North Road, Drogheda on 11 May 2020 (irishtimes.com)
- chargeReed pleaded guilty to money laundering and possessing proceeds of crime at the car park (irishtimes.com)
- chargeReed also pleaded guilty to money laundering at his home after €32,330 and £390 was found there (irishtimes.com)
- chargeRooney pleaded guilty to offences under section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) Act 2010 (irishtimes.com, dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- courtReed pleaded guilty (rte.ie)
- courtThe driver of the black Mercedes is also before the courts (rte.ie)
- courtMr Justice Tony Hunt presided over the sentencing at the Special Criminal Court. (kildarenow.com)
- courtJudge Tony Hunt presided at the Special Criminal Court. (extra.ie)
- courtRooney pleaded guilty at the non-jury Special Criminal Court on Tuesday morning (irishtimes.com)
- courtRooney was remanded on continuing bail with a sentence hearing listed for 4 October 2021 (irishtimes.com)
- courtCatherine Dawson pleaded guilty in January 2021 to two counts after being caught moving over €600,000 in cash (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe case was presided over by Mr Justice Tony Hunt, sitting with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge David McHugh (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe maximum sentence for Rooney was 14 years (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe pre-mitigation sentence was set at 10 years (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe six-year sentence was backdated to 6 December 2021 (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe court ordered the money seized by gardaí to be forfeited to the State (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe forfeiture of a Mercedes used by Rooney is being contested and arguments are scheduled for 31 January (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe Special Criminal Court ordered the seizure of a Mercedes worth an estimated €50,000. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- courtMr Justice Tony Hunt ordered the forfeiture of the Mercedes. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- sentenceJason Reed was jailed for seven years for money laundering (rte.ie)
- sentenceCatherine Dawson was given a suspended sentence for her role in transporting €600,000 (rte.ie)
- sentenceJason Reed was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Special Criminal Court. (kildarenow.com, extra.ie)
- sentenceThe judge set 10 years as the appropriate headline sentence for both offences. (kildarenow.com)
- sentenceReed was sentenced to seven years on both charges with both to run concurrently. (kildarenow.com)
- sentenceThe judge set ten years as the appropriate headline sentence for both offences. (extra.ie)
- sentenceReed was sentenced to seven years on both charges with terms to run concurrently. (extra.ie)
- sentenceDawson was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, fully suspended for five years (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceJason Reed was sentenced to seven years in prison (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceRooney was sentenced to six years' imprisonment by the three-judge court in January 2022. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- otherThe judge described Reed as a trusted mid-to-high level member of a transnational criminal organisation. (kildarenow.com)
- otherThe maximum imprisonment for money laundering offences was 14 years. (kildarenow.com, extra.ie)
- otherThe purpose of the compartment was to carry false proceeds or product. (kildarenow.com)
- otherReed purchased a mobile home for cash despite having no source of income. (extra.ie)
- otherA letter in favour of Reed was submitted by Dublin charity Friends Helping Friends where he had volunteered. (extra.ie)
- otherReed appeared in court wearing a full-length, blue sanitary apron and face mask. (extra.ie)
- otherReed had vacuum-packing equipment and a secret compartment in his car operated by a remote key fob. (extra.ie)
- otherThe court found Reed to be a trusted, high level member of a transnational criminal organisation (irishtimes.com)
- otherRooney and Dawson were arrested on suspicion of enhancing the ability of an organised crime gang to commit a serious offence (irishtimes.com)
- otherRooney's defence counsel said he may need a lung transplant (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe Mercedes was in possession of Rooney's chauffeur service company EBT Executive Travel Ltd. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- otherThe car was valued at €72,000 when Rooney bought it in 2018. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- otherThe judge estimated the current value of the car to be in the region of €50,000. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
- otherRooney was described as a 'mid-to-high level' member of an 'international crime gang'. (dundalkdemocrat.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 2 Jun2022Court seizes Mercedes from man found with over €350k in Louth car park
This article reports the Special Criminal Court's forfeiture order for Rooney's Mercedes S350, a follow-up to his January 2022 six-year prison sentence for money laundering. It provides details of the cash amounts found, the items seized from his home, and the judge's reasoning for the forfeiture.
convicted, Thomas Rooney, 52, male, named, irish (judged from name)Thomas Rooney - 14 Jan2022Man who used partner to move crime cash jailed for six years
Reports the six-year sentence imposed on 14 January 2022, the sentencing reasoning (pre-mitigation 10 years reduced for guilty plea, co-operation, no prior convictions and poor health), the forfeiture order for seized cash, and the contested Mercedes forfeiture hearing scheduled for 31 January 2022.
convicted, Thomas Rooney, 52, male, named, irish (judged from name)Thomas Rooneyconvicted, Catherine Dawson, 45, female, named, irish (judged from name)Catherine Dawson - 20 Jul2021Man arrested in possession of vacuum wrapped cash pleads guilty
Rooney pleaded guilty to one count of possessing proceeds of criminal conduct; two further charges (black bag with €254,840 and €7,650 at North Road) were also mentioned. Remanded on continuing bail with sentence hearing for 4 October 2021. Co-accused Jason Reed sentenced to seven years; Catherine Dawson sentenced to three years nine months (suspended) in January 2021.
accused, Thomas Rooney, 41, male, named, irish (judged from name)Thomas Rooneyconvicted, Catherine Dawson, 44, female, named, irish (judged from name)Catherine Dawsonconvicted, Jason Reed, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Jason Reed - 6 Jul2021Charity soup kitchen volunteer jailed for laundering cash for crime gang - Extra.ie
Details of Jason Reed's sentencing to seven years at the Special Criminal Court, including Judge Tony Hunt's comments on his role in the transnational criminal organisation, his co-accused Catherine Dawson's suspended sentence, and remarks by DCI Angela Willis on organised crime assets.
convicted, Jason Reed, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Jason Reedconvicted, Catherine Dawson, 44, female, named, irish (judged from name)Catherine Dawson - 5 Jul2021Man guilty of possessing €350K for 'pernicious' transnational crime group sentenced to seven years
Details of Jason Reed's sentencing to seven years (concurrent on both charges), the judge's characterisation of his role as a trusted mid-to-high level member of a transnational criminal organisation, surveillance evidence, the adapted Passat with a remote-controlled secret compartment, items found at his home and a mobile home in Courtown, and Catherine Dawson's fully suspended sentence.
convicted, Jason Reed, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Jason Reedconvicted, Catherine Dawson, 44, female, named, irish (judged from name)Catherine Dawsonsuspect, male - 5 Jul2021Senior Kinahan gang member jailed for money laundering
Jason Reed sentenced to seven years in prison at the Special Criminal Court; judge stated a ten-year sentence would have applied absent a guilty plea; details of surveillance, cash discovery and the role of the black Mercedes driver provided; Catherine Dawson's suspended sentence for transporting €600,000 referenced.
convicted, Jason Reed, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Jason Reedconvicted, Catherine Dawson, female, named, irish (judged from name)Catherine Dawson