Sister of gang 'patriarch' jailed over €124k found in attic of her home

A sister of convicted drug dealer and gang "patriarch" - Limerick criminal Christy Keane -  has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after she was caught with €124k in crime cash in the attic of her home.

Sandra Hehir, aged 56, of Assumpta Park, Island Road, Limerick city will also have to be of good behaviour for a period of two years after her release or she will face a further 12 months in prison.

Passing sentence at the Special Criminal Court this Monday, Mr Justice Michael MacGrath said Hehir knew the money in her attic and in numerous bank accounts controlled by her were the proceeds of crime.

While she had no direct involvement in the criminality of the Keane group, he said she was "not a passive participant in laundering the proceeds of that criminal activity".

There was evidence she had lied to gardai about the source of the money, he said, which was an indication of her mindset and intention. She had been involved, the judge said, in a significant number of financial transactions over a significant period.

In mitigation, the judge noted Hehir's early guilty plea, lack of previous convictions and good employment record as a hairdresser.

As she is going to prison for the first time, Mr Justice MacGrath said Hehir is likely to experience difficulty in adjusting and her standing in her community is likely to be diminished. He noted the contents of a probation report which stated that she is unlikely to reoffend and has no addiction or mental health issues.

Mr Justice MacGrath sentenced her to three years and six months imprisonment but suspended the final year for two years. She pleaded guilty before the non-jury court, in October of last year, to laundering the money at her home in June 2020.

She pleaded guilty to a charge that on June 17, 2020, at the same address she handled, acquired and/or possessed cash to the value of €124,055, knowing or believing (or being reckless as to whether) property in the said premises was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

The charge came under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Monday Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.At a previous hearing, defence counsel Padraig Dwyer SC said Hehir had been told by her now deceased husband that the money that went through her accounts had come from gambling.

However, she accepted that, “in all probability”, it had been the proceeds of crime. Mr Dwyer said his client denied any criminal involvement, had entered a guilty plea and had expressed her regret.

The court heard that Hehir had accumulated €68,000 in savings over five years and had withdrawn €70,000 to pay the balance of her mortgage, a position that gardai said was not in line with her legitimate income.

Sergeant Cathal O'Sullivan told Fiona Murphy SC, for the prosecution, that a 2020 garda anti-money laundering operation was designed to target the Keane Organised Crime Group in Limerick, particularly Christy Keane and his nephew, Warren Hehir.

In July last year, Sandra Hehir's son Warren Hehir was sentenced to five years and three months with the final 12 months suspended for laundering €59,000 in crime cash through house renovation works.

Hehir, aged 33, of Bruach na Sionna, Castleconnell, Co Limerick had 54 previous convictions at the time of his sentencing for offences that included money laundering and drug offences.

Sgt O'Sullivan told the court that when Sandra Hehir's house was searched on June 17, 2020, a total of €124,055, in 13 separate bundles, was found secured in a plastic sheet in the attic.

A "tick-list" was also found relating to substantial sums of money owed. 

The Keane gang and its associates are involved in the distribution of drugs and suspected of the importation of firearms on a national and international level, Sgt O'Sullivan said.

The court heard they had been involved in an ongoing feud with the McCarthy-Dundon gang since 2000 and that there had been 19 murders.