A man who was caught storing just under €65,000 in his home has been sentenced to nine months for money laundering.
Chesing Wan (37) of Avonbeg Gardens, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to handling €64,195 and £2,180 sterling which was the proceeds of crime at his home on July 16, 2023. He has four previous convictions for minor district court offences.
Detective Garda Mark Berigan said a warrant was obtained to search Wan’s home following receipt of confidential information. Wan was there and indicated he had cash in his bedroom.
Phones that were also present in the bedroom were analysed and it was concluded that Wan had been using WhatsApp to arrange meetings with multiple people to collect cash to store it at his home.
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The detective said the messages included photographs of a €20 note, which is used as a “form of verification” between those communicating with each other.
Det Gda Berigan said that, in terms of the cash found, Wan was on the lower end of the scale.
Wan is a father of four who has suffered from depression. He previously had a drug addiction but has since been rehabilitated. He has worked as a chef.
Passing sentence on Thursday, Judge Orla Crowe said: “This is an inherently serious matter.” She noted it was a “considerable amount of cash and that this defendant was clearly trusted”.
Judge Crowe said there is a probation report before the court, which places Wan at a “moderate” risk of reoffending. She also noted the contents of many letters handed in on Wan’s behalf which spoke of his devotion to his children.
The judge said the mitigating factors in this case were his guilty plea, that he has not come to any adverse attention since, he has battled with alcohol and drug addictions and had mental health difficulties. She noted that “many people have spoken up for this defendant”.
Judge Crowe said the offence warranted a custodial sentence, adding that the maximum sentence available to the court was 14 years. She sentenced Wan to 18 months in prison, suspending the final nine months for two years. She also placed him under the supervision of the Probation Service for one year post-release.
