Tralee’s Nathan McDonnell will today learn his punishment for his role in a failed attempt to smuggle half a tonne of meth from Mexico to Australia.
The former Chamber President will be sentenced today at the Special Criminal Court on two charges; the importation of the drugs into Ireland, and facilitating an organised crime group.
Radio Kerry understands that Mr McDonnell will attend court in person this morning, after receiving medical treatment earlier this week for a broken jaw.
44-year-old McDonnell, of Ballyroe, Tralee, pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the seizure of 540 kilograms of methylamphetamine at Cork Port 12 months ago.
The drugs, valued at around €32.4 million, had been stored inside a phoney electro-magnetic separator machine which was kept in Ballyseedy Garden Centre between October 2023 and February 2024.
Mr McDonnell pleaded guilty to two charges arising from the drugs seizure; that he imported the drugs into Ireland in October 2023, and that he facilitated the activities of a criminal organisation.
He was described during his sentencing hearing earlier this month as being a late substitute used by a local organised crime group to store the drugs in Ireland, and export them to Australia, as other options fell through.
Mr McDonnell was also described as an important cog in the operation, as it was him who paid shipping charges to accept the drug-filled machine into Ireland, he stored it at Ballyseedy, and then arranged for its attempted export to Australia.
He has been on remand in custody at Portlaoise Prison for over a year, and this week he suffered a broken jaw during what his solicitor Pádraig O’Connell described as a very violent assault.
It had been suspected he would not be present in court to learn his sentence today, but Radio Kerry understands he has been certified fit to attend and will be in court this morning.
McDonnell’s legal representatives have acknowledged in court that his prison sentence will be significant.
The charge of importing drugs into Ireland carries a basic presumptive sentence of at least ten years, but a court can impose a lower sentence if it deems there are significant mitigating factors.
The offence of facilitating a criminal organisation carries a maximum sentence of five years, and it will be up to the three judges whether any prison sentences for these two charges will be concurrent or consecutive.
