A DUBLIN man is to stand trial accused of aiding a “darknet” criminal organisation in laundering €14m in cryptocurrency crime proceeds.
Kevin Daniel Andrei, 24, of Drynam Avenue, Swords, was charged in August with three counts of possessing close to €600,000 in crime earnings under section seven of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing).
It follows a Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) probe.
In January, a judge set today as the deadline for the investigation team to obtain directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Mr Andrei, who had been on bail, appeared before Judge Miriam Walsh at Cloverhill District Court.
He was charged with two extra offences: money laundering involving €13,745,756 proceeds of criminal conduct, and facilitating “darknet market” organised crime.
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Detective Ciaran Byrne said the DPP had also directed trial on indictment.
Mr Andrei was briefly remanded in custody because the District Court can’t grant bail for the organised crime-related charge.
Defence solicitor Kate McGhee moved an immediate application in the Cloverhill High Court bail list.
There was no Garda objection, and he was ordered to continue obeying the terms set in the District Court and will appear again next week.
Prosecutors must complete a book of evidence and serve it on him before he can be returned to the Circuit Court for trial.
He has yet to indicate a plea.
In the original three charges, he was accused of “concealing and disguising the true nature and source of 65 Wirex transactions” totalling €22,049 between March 3, 2021, and September 5, 2022, at various locations.
According to another charge, between February 26, 2021, and February 26, 2024, he engaged in “concealing and disguising the true nature and source of 1,822 Revolut transactions that were the proceeds of criminal conduct,” valued at €227,429.
The third claims he disguised the true nature and source of 422 separate Binance transactions worth €341,959 between March 21, 2021, and December 20, 2023, at various places in Ireland.
He has surrendered his passport, has to sign on three days a week at his local garda station, not to apply for a replacement passport or new travel documents, reside at his current address, and always be contactable.
Mr Andrei has also been warned “not to carry out any cryptocurrency transactions” or comment about the case on public forums, including social media.