A businessman jailed for importation of the State’s largest crystal meth seizure now faces having to forfeit part of the proceeds of the impending sale of his €795,000 family home, the High Court has heard.
Nathan McDonnell (44), who ran the long-established Ballyseedy Garden Centre in Tralee in Co Kerry, allowed his business to be used to store a machine containing more than €32 million of the drug, which came from an organised crime group with links to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. It was intended the machine would travel on to Australia.
He pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court in February to importing drugs into Cork on October 16th, 2023, and to facilitating the activities of a criminal organisation between that date and February 12th, 2024. He received a 12-year jail term.
Separately, he ran up a debt of €125,135 to Revenue in unpaid income tax between December 2020 and December 2023.
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Revenue notified him proceedings were being brought seeking summary judgment against him for that sum but there was no appearance by him.
His family home at Ballyroe, Tralee, is currently for sale with a price tag of €795,000.
It is described as a “substantial, detached, newly built, gated, four-bedroom/four-bathroom property extending to 353 metres square”.
On Thursday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan granted Revenue an order appointing a receiver over 50 per cent of the net proceeds of the sale, as half of the property is owned by Mr McDonnell. The other half is owned by his wife Jackie McDonnell.
The application was made while only Revenue was represented in court.
In an affidavit, a Revenue officer said that, given Mr McDonnell’s criminal convictions and dishonest character, Revenue is concerned there may be an attempt to liquidate and dissipate his assets to prevent collection for the unpaid tax monies. His only known asset is the Ballyroe house.
Revenue wrote to him and his wife seeking undertakings to hold on account 50 per cent of the net proceeds on the house following the discharge of the debt to the registered charge holder on the property, Cara Credit Union Ltd in Tralee. There was no response from either of them.
Mr Justice Cregan appointed Harry Fehily, solicitor of Holmes O’Mally Sexton LLP of Limerick, as receiver. The receiver’s work will cost in the order of €5,000, the court heard.
The judge also granted liberty to the defendant, who he was told is in Portlaoise Prison, to apply to court regarding the order.
