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Chapter 1: What led to Nathan McDonnell's involvement in drug trafficking?
The trial showed how that was all built on a castle of sand, and underneath it all, he'd managed to amass huge amounts of debt through his business, that the money he owed was out of control, and that this is how he became involved in this plot, this international, transnational plot to smuggle Crystal Mesh into Australia, because, you know, he needed the money, basically.
I'm Nicola Tallent and this is Crime World, a podcast about criminals, drugs and the sins of the underworld. If you like this podcast and want to learn more about crime, go to our new website www.crimeworld.com for stories, extras and podcast subscriber specials. The house of jailed garden centre owner Nathan MacDonald has been sold in Tralee, but revenue have laid claim to 50% of the profits.
MacDonald was jailed last year for 12 years for his role in a plot to export crystal meth to Australia.
Chapter 2: What is the significance of Nathan McDonnell's mansion sale?
I'm talking to Niall Donald and you're listening to Crime World, a podcast from crimeworld.com. So some of Nathan MacDonald's debts will be paid off since the sale of his stunning home, actually, in Tralee. This is the Kerry businessman who's convicted of importing crystal meth in what was one of the country's largest seizures of the illegal drug.
I mean, beyond the country's largest, was it the only one?
Well, I've been under seizures, but I mean, this was 32 million.
Chapter 3: How much profit is Revenue claiming from the sale?
I mean, it was certainly the largest seizure, no doubt about that.
And Nathan MacDonald was the owner of Ballyseedy Garden Centre, who would admit in court to his role in that enterprise, which was that he held a machine in the garden centre, which had contained the components of the crystal meth.
Chapter 4: What were the details of Nathan McDonnell's trial?
He had also arranged for the transport of the the machine to a company in Australia and had sought to find a company to sort of accept import of it.
Yeah, he'd been involved not just in the storing, but in the actual trafficking of the drugs, basically.
Chapter 5: How did Nathan McDonnell's debts influence his criminal activities?
So that's partly why he was received such a long sentence. Of course, the backstory of it is one of those things that we've talked about many times that seems almost unbelievable.
Although, of course, it has proven to be the case in that this little garden center, quite a big garden center in Scenic and a beautiful part of Kerry, had a very clear and definite link to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, the most notorious drugs cartel in the world.
And the trial of James Lean, who the state would say is the kind of the main player in this enterprise, which was, of course, to bring the crystal meth into Ireland to store it here for a period of time before it was
Chapter 6: What is the connection between McDonnell and the Sinaloa cartel?
then transported onwards to Australia because if you try and export from Mexico straight into Australia, it's kind of a red flag because the Australian drug taking population like their crystal meth and a lot of it is coming from Mexico, whereas from Ireland you have a green flag situation in that most of the goods aren't said to be or thought to be illegal. So it was a clever alleged conspiracy.
And James Lean's trial, which was due to start last year, is probably going to happen later this year. We were told at the opening day that his defense hadn't had a chance to go through all the documents that there were. The evidence is largely based on phone evidence.
Chapter 7: What challenges did McDonnell face during his imprisonment?
And it'll be interesting when it does get going. But nonetheless, Nathan MacDonald pleaded guilty, went into prison just before his sentencing, got beaten up in prison in Portlaoise Jail. He had appeared with a broken jaw, which was wired up on the day that he was handed down those 12 years in prison and his life has fallen apart.
You know, there was a time that neighbours and people that knew the couple would have gazed on that stunning family home as being sort of an extension of their perfectness but in actual fact it was far different really far different things were happening in the relationship and behind the closed doors.
Chapter 8: What does the future hold for McDonnell's family after the sale?
100% and it is a stunning looking home and people can see it on crimeral.com but It's described as a four-bed mansion in Ballyrow and Tralee, and it went on sale at an asking price of 750,000. Now, the footage of it is 3,800 square feet, basically, which is... But you've written it as almost three times that of an average home. So I presume your maths is correct.
An average home is about sort of 1,200 to 1,400 square foot. A three bed semi-D average home in, sorry, an urban environment because a lot of people living in a rural environment obviously live in far greater... I should really say it's three times the size of an average three-bed semi-D.
Yeah, and it's obviously also on landscape grounds. It's whitewashed, really, really lovely. And of course, Nathan MacDonald was one of them people, sort of a relatively young man who certainly seemed to be one of the main aims of his life to project this image of being an extremely successful businessman. go-getting sort of business man who'd, you know, shot ahead of his contemporaries.
But I suppose the trial showed how that was all built on a castle of sand. And underneath it all, he'd managed to amass huge amounts of debts through his business and that the money he owed was out of control. And that this is how he became involved in this plot, this international, transnational plot to smuggle Crystal Mesh into Australia. Because, you know, he needed the money, basically.
Well, he needed the money. He was going under in debt. He owed a lot of money to the taxman. But the money he was going to be paid for his role in the plot was only... more than likely going to go to lifestyle. It wasn't going to take a chip off the debts that he had. It was 100,000 or a little bit more that he was due to be paid.
And I think there was between one and two million in debt to the revenue alone. There was over 60 people employed in the businesses. And the receivers have gone in and obviously tried to secure those jobs and sell up what they can. Now, in the High Court last December, Justice Brian Cregan granted revenue, an order appointing receiver to over 50% of the net proceeds of the sale of the house.
So that's the half owned by Nathan MacDonald. So the other half is owned by his wife, Jackie. And that application was made on an ex parte basis, meaning only revenue is represented. So there's other debtors there, I presume, that can come seeking what they're owed. So the court was told at the time that revenue had written to Mr. MacDonald and his wife seeking an undertaking to hold on
to 50% of the net proceeds in the house following the discharge of the debt to the registered chargeholder on the property, which is Carer Credit Union Limited Entry. What that means is that the first people that are discharged are those that hold the mortgage on it. So whatever the mortgage is will have to be paid off. And then whatever's left, 50% has to be held on for revenue.
And the other 50% seems to be of the net proceeds or the net profits? Well, I suppose the net profits after Yeah, I would imagine. After the mortgage is paid off, maybe. So that will be owned by his wife, Jackie, who has been in the news herself.
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