A MALE MODEL facing international money laundering charges has been arrested and taken to the High Court on foot of an extradition warrant.
Mark Adams (40), with an address at Castleheath, Malahide, Co Dublin, is alleged to have booked 500 flights into and out of the UK in the space of four years, which is alleged to be consistent with the role played by a cash courier in a money laundering scheme.
Mr Adams was stopped at Belfast Airport on 9 May 2018 travelling with only hand luggage, in which a sum of €180,000 was found in two brown envelopes.
Northern Irish authorities are now seeking his extradition on charges that he concealed the money in his hand luggage, and attempted to remove it from Northern Ireland on that date, knowing or suspecting the money to be proceeds of crime.
He is also facing prosecution for allegedly entering into an arrangement, namely the removal of criminal property from Northern Ireland, knowing or suspecting that this arrangement would facilitate the retention, use or control of such criminal property, by persons unknown, between 13 May 2013 and 10 May 2018.
Mr Adams was arrested by detectives from the Garda’s extradition unit today and taken to the High Court.
Detective Garda Eoin Kane told the High Court that he arrested Mr Adams on foot of a European Arrest Warrant at his Malahide address at 10.11am this morning. Detective Garda Kane said he read a summary of the offences to Mr Adams, and when asked if he knew what the allegations were about, Mr Adams replied “yes”.
Detective Garda Kane said gardaí were objecting to bail. He said Mr Adams told him that he was due to attend Cuan Mhuire for addiction treatment but the detective said he spoke to Cuan Mhuire and the treatment centre wasn’t accepting any patients at the moment “due to the coronavirus”.
Mr Justice Donald Binchy remanded Mr Adams in custody until 12 March when an application for bail is expected to be made.
A hearing into the proposed extradition was fixed for 25 March.
The warrant states that Mr Adams was stopped at Belfast Airport by Border Force officers on 9 May 2018 travelling with only hand luggage. He was due to take an outbound flight to Alicante.
Mr Adams confirmed to Border Force officers that he had packed the bag himself, and when asked whether anyone had given him anything to take out of the country, he replied: “yes, €180,000”, according to the warrant.
The warrant states that British investigators believe Mr Adams booked 497 international flights into and out of the UK between 14 May 2014 and 9 May 2018. On 64 of these occasions, the outbound and return flights were within a matter of hours.
This is alleged to be consistent with the act of someone transporting or delivering something between one place and another, according to money laundering expert, Detective Sergeant Adrian Ward of South Yorkshire Police, whose opinion is contained in the warrant.
The money laundering expert alleges that the evidence identifies a money laundering system, and that Mr Adams’s role is allegedly consistent with that of a cash courier.
The warrant states that Mr Adams was interviewed under caution on 10 May 2018 and made no comment to questions asked in relation to the cash, his personal background, his employment status and financial position.
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