Man jailed after cannabis and €64k in cash wrapped in clingfilm found in his bedroom in Cork

The judge imposed a sentence of two and a half years with the last year of the sentence suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. File picture

€64,000 in cash bundles tightly wrapped in clingfilm and hidden in medical supplies boxes were discovered concealed in a house in Wilton and now an 18-month sentence has been imposed on a 49-year-old man for money-laundering.

Piotr Szczepanik of South Douglas Road, Cork, was caught with cash and drugs back in May 2021 when he was living at a house at Eagle Valley, Wilton, Cork.

Judge Sinéad Behan imposed a sentence of two and a half years with the last year of the sentence suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Detective Garda Dylan Murphy executed a search warrant at the home of the accused man shortly before 8pm on May 6, 2021. The accused was not present but another resident identified Mr Szczepanik’s bedroom. 

The door was locked. Officers entered with a specially trained dog used to detect the presence of drugs. A small quantity of cannabis for personal use was found in the bottom of the wardrobe. 

A timber panel at the top of the wardrobe was removed and four large quantities of cannabis were found wrapped in clingfilm. The cannabis had a total value of €4,426. Bundles of cash were found wrapped in clingfilm and inside medical packets.

When questioned later he first said that maybe the cash belonged to somebody else. Then he said he was saving it from social welfare and from work he had done as a barber and mending electronic goods. 

After he said he had been saving for his brother’s kidney transplant, he then said his brother died and he was going to use the money instead for an operation he needed on his own back.

Asked why he did not keep the cash in a bank he told Det. Garda Murphy: “Banks are robbers.” He said he wrapped the cash in clingfilm so that it would not get mouldy or damp.

He was sentenced for having cannabis for sale or supply and money-laundering.