Garden centre café formerly managed by man accused of importing crystal meth hit with €1,700 judgement

The services supplied by Rentokil, the company who registered the judgment, are understood to have included the use of rodent control traps.

Raheen Premier Café Limited, trading as Ballyseedy Café out of Ballyseedy Garden Centre in Tralee, Co. Kerry, is understood to have been managed by businessman Nathan McDonnell when Rentokil supplied the services.

The judgment in the sum of €1,780 was registered against McDonnell’s company on June 13.

Nathan McDonnell held the position of director at the café from August 14 2019.

Mr McDonnell is currently before the courts charged in connection with the State’s largest ever haul of crystal meth.

McDonnell and a co-accused – James Leen – were both arrested following the seizure of more than 500kg of methyl-amphetamine, or crystal meth, in a container at Cork port in February.

It is alleged that the drugs were hidden in a recycling machine that had been imported from Mexico and stored at Mr McDonnell’s garden centre before being transported to Cork, destined for export to Australia.

Mr McDonnell, from Ballyroe, Tralee, and Mr Leen, from Pilgrim Hill, Kilmorna, Listowel, are both charged with possession of more than €13,000 worth of the drug for sale or supply.

The offence is alleged to have happened at Ballyseedy Garden Centre between October 27 last year and February 12 this year.

Mr Leen is also charged with importation of the drug, valued at more than €13,000, at Cork Port, Ringaskiddy, on October 16 last year.

When their cases came before Tralee District Court last week, a judge warned that the State must have a “reasonable explanation” for why the book of evidence is taking so long to serve in the case.

Garda Sergeant Chris Manton, for the State, said the book of evidence was still not ready for both men, and he sought an adjournment to July 3.

In the case of Mr Leen, his solicitor, Pat Mann, criticised the delay and said he had difficulty with a further remand.

He said “it has gone way beyond the time” for the State to have the book of evidence ready, and he said he was applying for the case to be marked peremptory against the State.

This effectively means that the book must be finalised by the State and handed over to the legal teams.

Judge David Waters said he would not do this, but he is requiring the State to give an update on the position of the preparation of the book of evidence.​

Judge Waters said he is aware that it is a “complicated and large book of evidence”, not like a simple shoplifting case with two witnesses, but the State, nonetheless, must explain the situation or he will be forced to make certain orders.

Sgt Manton said at an earlier hearing that the book of evidence in both cases was not ready because of the scale of the investigation.

“There are over 200 allegations to be investigated and over 200 pages of mobile phone data,” he said.