A Scot has been charged with handing over a shopping bag filled with more than £100,000 in crime cash after jetting into Ireland from Dubai.
Michael Jamieson, from Newton Mearns, near Glasgow, was arrested in Dublin on Saturday after allegedly being spotted making a “handover” of more than £89,000 to an accomplice.
Dublin District Court heard officers discovered a further £15,000 in cash in his hotel room after it was searched.
The 36-year-old was refused bail when he appeared charged with two counts of money laundering this week.
Jamieson was allegedly seen handing over a “white Tesco shopping bag” to another man in a vehicle at Knockbridge, County Louth, last Friday.
The court heard Gardaí stopped the man who received the bag and found it contained €104,720 while Jamieson returned to the Carlton Hotel, Cloghran.
He was arrested there on suspicion of “facilitating a criminal organisation” and €17,660 in cash was allegedly found during a search of his room, along with four phones and a laptop.
Some of the cash was allegedly in a clear shopping bag which also contained receipts from Dubai airport.
Garda Marguerite Reilly of the Special Crime Task Force arrested Jamieson and said he exercised his right to remain silent when questioned and made no reply to the charges after caution.
She said the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau had received confidential information while investigating crime groups in the Louth area.
The Irish media reported: “Gardaí believed the cash, more than €120,000, was the proceeds of criminal conduct by an organised crime group.
“They alleged Mr Jamieson had travelled from Dubai to Ireland for the purpose of money laundering.
“Mr Jamieson had not provided gardaí with an address in this jurisdiction. Gda Reilly believed if granted bail he would commit offences and would not remain here to face the charges.”
Jamieson’s lawyer told the court he denied anything to do with the larger sum of money, saying he had family in Donegal and secure an address for gardaí.
He offered €20,000 - around £17,000 - in exchange for bail.
But Judge Paul Kelly, the district court president, refused bail and remanded Jamieson in custody.
Jamieson returned to court again yesterday and will remain in custody until the case calls again later this month.
Meanwhile, co-accused, Michael Greene, 35, of Mornington, County Meath, was charged with one count of money laundering.
He was granted bail and his case was adjourned until next month.
