Cork jury finds man guilty of organised crime charge

The Lithuanian man who had denied directing organised crime in Cork involving systematic drug-dealing operations around Fitzgerald’s Park, the Lee Fields, and Wellington Rd, was found guilty of the charge in court yesterday.

The guilty verdict came after nine hours and 37 minutes of deliberations by a jury at the end of a trial that lasted almost four weeks and was the result of one of the biggest drugs investigations undertaken in Cork in many years.

In the first case of its kind in the area, 47-year-old Pranas Motriuk is now convicted of directing organised crime in Cork City.

The verdict was delivered just before lunchtime yesterday.

It followed a major investigation headed by Detective Inspector Denis Lynch and a large number of drugs unit detectives throughout the city.

Along with covert drugs unit gardaí from around the country, Cork gardaí made controlled purchases of drugs so that chains of evidence could be established to show how the operation was happening and who was controlling it.

Pranas Motriuk, aged 47, of 13 Manor Grove, Thornbury View, Rochestown, Cork, denied the principle charge of directing and controlling the activities of a criminal organisation between November 10, 2023 and March 26, 2025, but was convicted.

He was also convicted of having cannabis and a benzodiazepine, namely Etizolam, for sale or supply at his home on March 25, 2025.

Finally, he was convicted of money laundering, in relation to sums of €470 and €1,050, at North City Link Rd on September 25, 2024, and at Kyrl’s St on October 3, 2024, respectively.

The money-laundering charges were key elements in the principle charge of directing organised crime. While the evidence was complicated and detailed, one key strand was that Lithuanians working under the direction of Motriuk sold drugs to undercover gardaí making controlled purchases with marked notes. The money was passed on to the gang’s organiser. When he was stopped and searched, he had the marked notes.

The person at the top often does not actively deal drugs, but the marked notes were vital circumstantial evidence linking him to the crimes.

Prosecution senior counsel Tom Creed stressed this link when putting the case before the jury.

Across 13 interviews with drugs unit gardaí, Motriuk repeatedly denied directing, or being involved in, organised crime.

At one stage, he said: “It’s a lot of bullshit, I don’t want to continue this. I told your earlier, I appreciated you’re doing your work, but you’re wasting my time and your time… Unless you have something concrete to put on table, I want to go back to cell.

“Show me CCTV of me giving drugs, selling drugs to somebody. Otherwise, bring me to cell or let me go home.

“It’s only observation, the fact somebody meeting other people and other people involved in drugs. You’re wasting time. Let’s finish up and go home. Go home, enjoy your life, let me go home to my family and enjoy my life.”

Motriuk was refused bail following his arrest and has been in custody since March 2025. Today, Judge Dermot Sheehan remanded him in continuing custody until June 29 for sentencing.

He will not be the only one being sentenced on that date, in one of the biggest drugs investigations in Cork in many years.

When the trial commenced, on April 30, two other men also faced charges: 46-year-old Jonas Pavilionis, of no fixed address, and 38-year-old Aleksandras Kuznecovas, of no fixed address. Both denied the charges.

However, mid-way through the trial they entered pleas of guilty to committing an offence of having drugs for sale or supply for the benefit of, or under the direction of, an organised crime group.

Pavilionis admitted additional charges of having a machete at Douglas Shopping Centre car park and two bill-hooks at Audley Place on St Patrick’s Hill in Cork.

Five other people, who admitted various other charges related to these crimes, pleaded guilty to the different parts they played, before the trial of the three men commenced. So eight people now face sentencing on June 29.

Mr Creed had said, at the outset of the trial, that the investigation commenced back in November 2023 because of heroin-dealing around Cork city.

He said: 

“They had suspicions that certain persons were involved. They set up an investigation, led by Detective Inspector Denis Lynch, who put in place a surveillance operation. It was suspected by Det Insp Lynch that Mr Motriuk was involved… The prosecution says it believes that not alone was he involved in the criminal organisation, but he was directing it. He was the man in charge.”

Mr Creed said that a man not before the court was stabbed and that, following this, Pavilionis “appeared on the scene and one of Mr Pavilionis’s jobs was to protect the dealers and that this was why the machete was found in the car”.

As well as surveillance, 21 controlled drug purchases were made by undercover members of An Garda Síochána in the investigation, Mr Creed said.

Referring to one incident that formed part of the trial, the prosecution senior counsel said: “Mr Motriuk was driving on the North City Link Rd and he was stopped by members of An Garda Síochána and, lo and behold, part of the monies he had were notes used by the undercover guard to purchase diamorphine (from another person).”

A jury of nine men and three women was sworn in for the trial at the end of April. But in the course of the trial, two of the jurors were excused and discharged for different reasons and by agreement of the prosecution senior counsel and the defence senior counsel, Donal O’Sullivan, the trial continued, ultimately before a jury of 10.

The only verdicts that could have been delivered at that stage were ones on which all 10 of them agreed.

The jury had a number of questions, including one at the outset of their deliberations. They wanted to know if they could approach the charges in any particular order. 

Judge Sheehan told them that this was a matter for them to decide. 

As it happened, they first reached guilty verdicts on the drugs charges, then on the money-laundering, and then, finally — and most significantly — on the principle charge against Pranas Motriuk of directing organised crime.

Judge Sheehan said to the jurors on Tuesday: “I want to thank you for your service. It does occur to me that this case was a trial of an exceptionally exacting nature. The criminal-justice system relies on people like you giving up your time to do this. We appreciate the time you have given up to this trial. I will excuse you from jury service for 10 years from today, because of the exceptionally exacting service you have given.”

A Lithuanian interpreter translated proceedings for the accused man throughout the trial and his services were directed for the sentencing hearing on June 29.

Cases of directing organised crime are usually dealt with at the Special Criminal Court, but in this case it was decided that it could be heard by judge and jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.