Galway Bay fm newsroom - A judge has told a Connemara based truck driver who was caught on his way to Holland with over 1.2 million euro in cash in his cab that a prison sentence is "unavoidable".
Noel Purcell, from Tullyvoheen in Clifden told gardaí he agreed to take the money out of the country to pay some of his debts off.
When Noel Purcell was pulled over on the Naas Road on July 12th last year, gardaí found two large bags containing several packages of cash wrapped in duct tape in the cab of his truck.
Purcell, a separated father of two, admitted possessing just under 1.3m in cash that was the proceeds of crime.
He told gardaí he agreed to take to the money to Holland after sharing his financial woes with a man he met on a boat
He insisted he didn't know what he was getting into, and only agreed to do it because he was struggling to pay his mortgage and other debts.
He said he was offered €4k to take the money.
Despite his remorse and pleas for leniency today, he was told a custodial sentence was "unavoidable". The 44 year old will be sentenced in January.
