A money mule - described in court as 'a brother-in-law' of key figures in the Drogheda feud - is set to take part in a GAA match with Dublin footballing legends for a special game for a TV documentary series.
Sean Connor, 21, whose partner is a sister of brothers involved in the feud, was jailed in January 2022 for two and a half years for money laundering on behalf of an Organised Crime Group (OCG).
He is now part of a 10-man team chosen by All-Ireland winning footballer Philly McMahon and comedian Rory O’Connor to train for a match against prison officers in Mountjoy as part of the RTE series Gaelic in the Joy.
READ MORE - Prison officers refused to take part in GAA game after 'taking offence' to Rory's Stories sketch
Currently housed in the jail’s progression unit, Sean celebrated his 21st birthday behind bars - with a cake presented to him by Rory during one of their training sessions.
And he spoke of how taking drugs led him to his stint behind bars.
"I was a good child to be honest but as I got older I just got into a few things, taking drugs and that led to one thing and led me in here," he said, explaining that he "got kicked out of school in First Year."
"If I could go back, one thing I would change is that I wouldn’t have gotten kicked out of school."
Connor’s appearance on the show comes the same week three females were arrested as part of a crackdown on a gang involved in the Drogheda feud.
One of the women, sources say, is a girlfriend of one of the leaders of the gang that was behind the gruesome murder of teen Keane Mulready-Woods in the Co Louth town in January 2020.
That killing was carried out by slain gangster Robbie Lawlor for the gang led by two brothers from the Drogheda area.
On Friday two of the three women, who are allegedly closely connected to senior members of the gang, were arrested as part of Operation Stratus - the crackdown on the deadly feud in the town that has claimed four lives.
A third woman was also arrested later on Friday.
All three were released without charge and files will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
During Connor’s sentencing hearing in January 2022 after he pleaded guilty to money laundering after gardai discovered a bag containing €11,400 during a search of his home, the court heard the then 20-year-old has 10 previous convictions dating back to when he was a juvenile, including being handed 12 months detention for possession of an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances.
And a Probation Report handed into court that day showed the Probation Service had concerns about Connor’s criminal associations.
"In respect of criminal associations, the Probation Services have identified his associations but his association with OCG is through his partner’s brothers," defence barrister Stephen Faulkner said.
But Mr Faulkner explained Connor was "staying in the family home of his brothers-in-law and the central concern is the OCG connection with these individuals," adding that "those individuals have not been here for two years or more."
Mr Faulkner said Connor was "stuck between a rock and a hard place as he has a parental obligation there and that was the reason he is living where he is," Mr Faulkner explained.
Judge Patrick Quinn noted the defendant told Probation Services he believed there would be consequences if he disclosed the identity of the persons he was storing the money for.
The judge also noted "he lives in the family home of key figures in the OCG in Drogheda - his partner’s brothers - his brothers-in-law effectively, who are known to gardai and we heard they are outside the jurisdiction for some time."
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