TWO MEMBERS OF the Wall organised crime group caught with stolen cash have been sentenced.

A garda helicopter captured footage of three men, described in court as members of the “Wall organised crime group”, digging up almost €80,000 buried in coffee jars in a suburban Dublin field.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard gardai believe that the cash dug up by brothers Michael (30), Thomas (39) and Patrick (20) Wall using shovels and a mini digger was derived from burglaries.

Bottles of Lucozade and packets of Monster Munch crisps, which Patrick Wall had earlier been captured on CCTV footage buying in a local Applegreen, were also found in the hole.

The court heard the brothers began digging after becoming aware the landowner was carrying out groundworks at the location. They had approached local businesses earlier in the day to inquire about the works and ask that it be stopped.

Michael Wall of Fortunestown Lane, Tallaght, and Thomas and Patrick Wall, both of Fortunestown Crescent, Tallaght, were initially charged with money laundering offences but guilty pleas to possession of stolen property were accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The case of Patrick Wall was adjourned to May for finalisation for a probation report.

Today, Judge Orla Crowe commended the work of the gardai in the case.

She set headline sentences of two years in relation to Michael and Thomas Wall and imposed sentences of 18 months on both men. She noted both men were married with children and took into account their personal circumstances.

She noted Thomas Wall had already served 12 months in custody and gave him credit for that time.

Judge Crowe noted Michael Wall had no prior convictions at the time of this offence and suspended his sentence in full.

Detective Garda Kate Gilligan of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau told Judge Orla Crowe the offending took place on August 14, 2020, at a field in Keatings Park, Rathcoole, Co Dublin.

She said the location was beside the N7 motorway close to a large Applegreen petrol station.

The court heard gardai were in receipt of confidential information that the Wall organised crime group were seeking to recover a large amount of cash buried in the field.

An operation was put in place and at 3pm, the garda helicopter observed a number of people at the location digging in a specific area. Footage was recorded and the helicopter returned to Baldonnell.

Gardai, who had known members of the Wall family for a significant time, identified the three men before the court on the footage. The helicopter returned to the scene where it observed a mini digger had arrived, with five people in total present and a large hole in the field.

Gardai entered the field and recovered four jars of own brand Lidl coffee containing cash, loose cash and a fifth smashed jar. Two jars had been placed into a paper Apple Green bag with loose cash and the cash was damp, as if it had just been dug up. The total found was €79,000. 

The garda investigation revealed that earlier that day Michael and Thomas had inquired at local businesses about work being carried out on the land and asked that it be desisted. They were told a local businessman had hired builders to take out hedges and carry out groundworks.

A builder carrying out legitimate work for the previous 3 weeks on the land was approached by a large group of men who asked what he was doing. He observed other men using a tape to measure from the fence to a location in the middle of the field where they started digging.

Det Gda Gilligan said the builder later left work and put the digger away. The other men did not have the owner’s permission to be digging on the field.

The three brothers were arrested and each told gardai they were building fences for horses.

Thomas Wall has 12 previous convictions, while Michael Wall has one previous conviction for a road traffic offence and Patrick Wall, has no previous convictions.

Barry Ward BL, defending Thomas Wall, said his client is married with three children. He handed in a number of letters on his behalf from people in his community. He said he has been using his time in custody productively.

Mr Ward said his client was a family man who had a difficult life up to now but had a supportive family and people who were concerned for him.

Delia Flynn SC, defending Michael Wall, said he was a married father of three children, one of whom required special care. Letters were handed in relation to the childs needs and supervision.

She said he was very much engaged with his family with a lot of responsibility and difficulties in his life. She said he was supported by family members.

Padraig Dwyer SC, defending Patrick Wall, said his client was married with no children and had the support of his family. He said this offence occurred when he was a juvenile and in the company of older relatives. He said his client has no drink or drugs issues.

He asked the court to take into account his early guilty plea and was compliant with gardai.