Man handed over €5k cash for cigarettes in Cork but was left with bags containing cardboard

Accused ran away through alley and money was not recovered, court heard

The evidence was that accused met the injured party in Mayfield and was handed the €5,000 in a Ford Focus and that he ran away and got into a BMW.  File picture: iStock

A Dubliner travelled to Cork to buy 100 cartons of cigarettes for €5,000 but when he handed over the cash the other man ran away through an alley and left him sitting with two holdall bags containing nothing but cardboard.

This was the alleged scam described on Friday at Cork District Court in the case against 32-year-old Viorel Macu from Romania, who gave an address at Bridge Street, Enniskeane, Co Cork.