Travel agent and husband allegedly caught smuggling €340k out of Ireland for crime organisation
Ukrainian businesswoman Iryna Bandarieva and Ihor Shandar were caught red-handed at Dublin Airport's Terminal, gardai claim
A Ukrainian travel agent and her husband remain in custody after allegedly attempting to smuggle €340,000 out of Ireland for a criminal organisation three weeks ago.
Gardai claim that businesswoman Iryna Bandarieva, 69, and Ihor Shandar, 60, were caught red-handed at Dublin Airport's Terminal 1 on April 10 and are awaiting directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
They were refused bail at Dublin District Court two days after the arrest and charged with money laundering offences.
They have lodged High Court bail applications, which will be heard next week.
They appeared again at the District Court today and were remanded in continuing custody by Judge Maire Conneely to appear again on May 28.
Iryna Bandarieva
It follows a joint investigation by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and Revenue.
The couple with an address in Betova, Kiev, Ukraine, face duplicate charges under section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, which carries a maximum 14-year sentence on conviction.
They are accused of possessing €340,000 in crime proceeds but deny the allegations.
With the help of a translator, the businesswoman told the court the money was from their life savings. "My husband and I are planning to challenge this case in court. We have documents to prove the source of the money is legit".
Objecting to bail at their first hearing on April 12, Detective Vincent Jaffray and Kate Gilligan had told Judge Anthony Halpin that the GNDOCB received confidential information about a transnational crime group involved in money laundering and drug trafficking.
The couple's luggage was checked, and officers found €170,000 in €50 notes and 17 bundles of €10,000 each among the clothing in Mr Shandar's luggage. Some €167,000 was found in Ms Bandarieva's bag.
Another €7,000 was in their hand luggage.
The seized cash
The officers believed €340,000 in the bundles was proceeds of crime and that the pair were taking it out of the jurisdiction. They arrived in the country the previous day.
Detective Jaffray said that when interviewed, Mr Shandar claimed they came to Ireland for a sightseeing trip.
The court heard they arrived in Ireland from Nice, France, and used a bank card to pay for a hotel. The court heard the defendants had recently moved to Italy and claimed the money was to buy a property in Cyprus.
Iryna Bandarieva
The gardai said they were set to fly there on Thursday and, following a 12-hour stopover, get an onward flight to Milan, Italy, where they had lived recently.
The bail hearing was told that court Ms Bandarieva's business, Dolce Travel, was still operating in Ukraine and that she had family in the UK.
Their lawyer said they would fight the case.
The court heard Ms Bandarieva had trust issues with banks.
The defence described her as a lady of good character with no prior convictions who had worked all her life.
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