A leading figure in a Co Longford-based organised crime gang has been convicted of handling stolen property uncovered during a Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) raid two years ago.
Denis Hannifin (42), of Curry, Athlone Road, Longford, was charged with the possession of a stolen Cosmos Lunar caravan on July 6th, 2020. The bureau and local gardaí seized more than €100,000 in cash, 11 vehicles, three caravans and designer watches, handbags and clothing during a search operation across 12 properties, including Hannifin’s home.
Hannifin pleaded guilty at Longford District Court on Tuesday, where Det Sgt Kenneth Holahan gave evidence about the operation and arresting the accused on theft charges. The court heard that Hannifin was on bail at the time.
Defence counsel Andrea Callan BL said Hannifin collected the stolen caravan from a ferry a week after it was stolen in the UK. She said he was instructed by his brother-in-law to take charge of the caravan before selling it on as “part payment” in what he believed was a bona fide transaction. Ms Callan said Hannifin had co-operated with the Cab investigation and did not intend to profit from the situation.
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Judge Bernadette Owens said given the caravan’s “very substantial value” and the fact Hannifin was on bail at the time, there was an “even greater onus” on him to ensure all necessary checks were carried out. She sentenced him to two months in prison, directing the term run concurrent to the prison sentence Hannifin is currently serving.
He was sentenced to 52 months in jail in May, with eight months suspended, after causing serious injury to his second cousin Denis McGinley in December 2018. Hannifin was convicted by a jury of assault, affray and possession and production of a knife at Longford Shopping Centre following a week-long trial in February.
