Mother of four charged over €400k cannabis seizure lived a 'lavish lifestyle', court hears
A MOTHER OF four charged over a €400,000 cannabis seizure in Dublin in January lived a 'lavish lifestyle inconsistent with her income', gardaí have alleged.
Yan Yan Wang (43) of Glen Ellen Court, Swords, Co Dublin, an Irish citizen but originally from China, was arrested after gardaí received directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions about a seizure at her family home on 18 January last.
She appeared at Dublin District Court charged with possessing 20kg of vacuum-packed cannabis and having it for the purpose of sale or supply.
Objecting to bail, Garda Thomas Doyle alleged that Dublin Crime Response Team gardaí went to her home with a search warrant and discovered a blue hard-shell suitcase in a shed at the rear of the property.
It allegedly contained packages of vacuum-packed cannabis herb weighing 20 kilograms. The drugs were said to have been prepared and ready for distribution.
The contested bail hearing was told that gardaí also seized €7,000 in cash, two mobile phones, a laptop, a vacuum sealer and plastic packaging bags, a suspected 'tick list' used in drug distribution to record transactions or debts.
An extensive investigation followed involving high-quality CCTV footage and forensic analysis of mobile phone extractions. It was alleged Wang was actively collecting and distributing illicit drugs across Dublin.
The court heard that she travelled to Rotterdam six days before the seizure and collected €122,000 in cash.
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It was claimed that on 16 January, CCTV footage captured her collecting a blue hard-shell suitcase from a male at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin, and driving back to her home in her 251-reg Mercedes 4X4.
The court heard gardaí believed the airport shop worker was living beyond her apparent financial means, possessing luxury items, designer clothing, and a new Mercedes, indicating a 'lavish lifestyle inconsistent with her income'.
She was interviewed by her solicitor, Martin O'Donnell, and made no admissions.
It was alleged analysis has confirmed the seizure was cannabis.
Defence barrister Paddy Flynn stressed that his client's husband had been charged earlier and that he had been granted bail. The court heard he is back in court later in the year to be served with a book of evidence.
Addressing flight risk, he told the court his client was now an Irish citizen with a passport and consequently no longer entitled to a Chinese passport.
He asked Judge John Brennan to note she had been living in Ireland for a long time, residing in Swords, and her co-accused was on bail, and she would undertake to abide by court-imposed terms.
Judge Brennan said bail in her bond of €1,000 but directed that she needed approval of a €3,000 surety before being released.
She will appear again next week, and a legal aid application decision has been deferred.
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