A JUDGE has imposed a five-year and four month prison term for money laundering on a convicted drug dealer who used to make his living selling whipped ice cream to children from his ice cream van.
At Ennis Circuit Court, Judge Francis Comerford imposed the 64-month prison term on ‘new dad’ and Limerick native Paul Collopy (48) after he pleaded guilty “at a very late stage” to a money laundering offence concerning €16,695, which was the proceeds of crime found in a disused car on the grounds of Carnelly House near the village of Clarecastle, County Clare, on November 24 2020.
Gardaí identified Mr Collopy as the offender after they matched Mr Collopy’s DNA sample from a clear bag containing some of the cash recovered from the 99 CE vehicle.
In evidence, Detective Sergeant Denis Stack said that, on the previous day, Mr Collopy was seen fiddling inside the bonnet of the car.
Det Sgt Stack said that when Gardaí returned to the scene on November 24 with a search warrant, they found another man in possession of one kilo of cannabis and another kilo of cannabis in the car.
Det Stack said that Mr Collopy kept horses on the lands at Carnelly “and had access to the lands for agricultural purposes”.
Counsel for Mr Collopy, Pat Barriscale BL, stated that his specific instructions from Mr Collopy of Childers Rd, Cloughleigh, Ennis, is that the drugs had nothing to do with his client.
Mr Barriscale stated that Mr Collopy “is adamant that he had nothing to do with the drugs and specifically instructs me to make that point”.
However, in sentencing, Judge Comerford said that he was satisfied that the €16,965 was connected to the seizure of the drugs at the same location and that puts the money laundering at a higher range of offending.
Judge Comerford stated that he was satisfied that the €16,965 was generated from drug dealing and that Mr Collopy has become involved in “very serious criminal activity”.
At the same court in July of last year, Judge Comerford imposed a mandatory minimum 10-year prison term under drugs legislation on Mr Collopy.
Judge Comerford imposed the 10-year prison term after Gardaí caught Mr Collopy “red-handed” with €50,780 of cannabis on the grounds of Carnelly House in April 2021.
Judge Comerford backdated that sentence to April 2021 when Mr Collopy was first brought into Garda custody.
Mr Collopy will not serve any additional time in jail from the new November 2020 money laundering offence, as Judge Comerford said that the 64-month prison term is to be served concurrently to the current 10-year term.
The court was told Mr Collopy is due for release from prison from his 10-year jail term in 2028.
From “a good family” in Limerick, Mr Collopy used to have two ice cream vans on the road before he returned to the drugs scene in the middle of the last decade.
Mr Barriscale stated that Mr Collopy is a father of two, one aged 23 and the other aged only two.
Mr Barriscale stated that Mr Collopy has “a dreadful record” and “is keeping his head down and doing his time”.
Mr Barriscale stated that his client is anxious not to have that time extended in any way. He said that Mr Collopy has a young child and won’t have any input into that child’s life until he gets released .
Det Sgt Stack told the court that Mr Collopy has 81 previous convictions, including 43 road traffic, three for larceny, 10 for public order, four for assault, three for criminal damage, two for threats to kill, two for money laundering, and four drug dealing offences.
