A FORMER Dublin Airport police officer who laundered millions of pounds for organised crime groups has been extradited to Northern Ireland to serve a prison sentence.
Mark Adams, 44, from Malahide, was extradited to Northern Ireland today following the completion of a sentence in Ireland for similar offences.
"Mark Adams was committing his crimes across international borders but by working together with our law enforcement partners we were able to ensure he faced justice in both jurisdictions," said National Crime Agency (NCA) Branch Commander David Cunningham
Hundreds of flights
Adams, who smuggled cash out of Ireland on flights, was stopped by Border Force officers in 2018 as he was about to board a flight to Alicante from Belfast International Airport.
He was found to be travelling with more than €180,000, which had been disguised in folders made to appear as if they contained legally privileged documents.
Adams claimed he was travelling to attend a wedding but investigators found that he was booked onto a return flight just an hour and 20 minutes after he was due to arrive in Spain.
Further enquiries found that Adams, who had left his job in February 2017 after a two-year career break, had taken almost 500 flights into or out of Britain in the preceding five years.
Records showed that he often returned very shortly after he landed.
Warrant
Adams was initially released on bail as part of an investigation by the NCA but when he failed to return, a European Arrest Warrant was issued for him.
Issuing the warrant revealed that he had been arrested in the interim by the Irish authorities and charged with four counts of money laundering.
He was sentenced to five years in prison in Ireland and began serving his sentence there.
During this time, Adams was charged in Northern Ireland in relation to the incident at Belfast International Airport.
He pleaded guilty to money laundering and was sentenced to 20 months in prison in May 2022.
Following the end of his sentence in Ireland, Adams was today extradited to Northern Ireland to begin his sentence there.
