EXPOSED | 

Finglas money launderer with ties to Hutch gang caught with €1.6m hidden in cars

Karl Duggan, who is linked to Hutches, was arrested after a tip-off

Today at 15:20

A man seen by gangs as a “trusted” money launderer who used a taxi to disguise his involvement in criminality has been jailed over a €1.6m cash haul.

Karl Duggan (38) was a target for gardaí investigating organised crime when he was arrested in January 2021 and the money was found hidden in two secret vehicle compartments.

Detectives believe that Duggan operated on a “high-level” laundering money for crime gangs and also has ties to members of the Hutch group.

The Finglas man was this week jailed for a total of six years following an investigation by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB).

Detectives raided his north Dublin penthouse and also searched two vehicles in which vacuum-packed cash totalling over €1.6m was discovered.

One source said: “Karl Duggan was trusted by criminal gangs to launder their cash and has long-standing links to members of the Hutch grouping.

“The amount of money he was ­arrested with showed that he was operating on a high level.

“At the time of his arrest he was also driving a taxi to try and disguise his criminal activities and go about his business undetected.”

The money launderer is also a relative of Noel Duggan (55) who was shot dead outside his Meath home in March 2016 as part of the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

The gun victim, nicknamed ‘Mr Kingsize’ because of his role in tobacco smuggling, was considered a soft target who had no involvement in the dispute in the lead-up to his murder.

A long-term business associate of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, he became the fifth fatality in the feud which went on to claim 18 lives in total.

Karl Duggan was arrested in a Dublin hotel on January 17, 2021, on foot of a confidential tip-off while his apartment at Shieling Square on the Howth Road, Raheny, was also raided.

A sum of €5,745 in cash was found in his home, along with money-laundering equipment including a money counter and vacuum pack bags.

When gardaí searched two cars at the property, they found hidden compartments in the base of the vehicles.

A sum of €1,225,375 was discovered in one car and €389,920 was found in another.

Cocaine, cannabis resin and alprazolam pills with a combined street value of around €11,000 were also found in one of the cars, as well as 12 burner phones.

A watch worth €24,500 was also seized.

Duggan, with an address at Finn Eber Court in Finglas, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing the proceeds of crime, one count of possessing cocaine for sale or supply and one count of possessing a car that was fitted with a concealment, giving rise to the inference it was connected with a drug-trafficking offence.

He has a perforated nasal septum as a result of his addiction to cocaine

A number of other counts were taken into consideration. Duggan has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda David Dunne gave evidence that Duggan fled the jurisdiction in the wake of the garda raid, but returned voluntarily after two years.

Jailing him on Monday, Judge Martin Nolan said Duggan was involved in money laundering and drugs, and there were signs of wealth associated with that criminality.

He said Duggan deserved a severe sentence and he jailed him for six years.

Paul Comiskey O’Keeffe BL, defending, said Duggan comes from a hard-working family. He witnessed the death of his brother in 2016, which the court heard worsened a long-standing drug problem.

He has a perforated nasal septum as a result of his addiction to cocaine.

Mr Comiskey O’Keeffe said Duggan is working on becoming drug-free and wishes to change his life.

He has three small children and his father died late last year, the court heard. A number of testimonials were handed into court on his behalf.