Nathan McDonnell: From judge to being judged for his part in importing €32m of crystal meth

In December, former well-known businessman Nathan McDonnell will go from being the judge to being judged when sentence will be passed on him for his role in importing the €32m worth of crystal meth seized in Cork Port earlier this year.

It will be a far cry from when the stylish former owner of Ballyseedy Garden Centre near Tralee was himself the judge — for the Best Dressed competitions at Listowel Races. 

A face never far from the pages of local newspapers in Kerry, 44-year-old McDonnell was part of the social set in north Kerry, participating in recent years in the Ballymac Strictly Come Dancing contest at Ballygarry House Hotel in Tralee.

Just over a year ago, he was a natural choice as “head judge” of the Ryle Menswear best dressed man competition at Listowel Harvest Races in September 2023.

In the run-up to the big event, he featured in a promotional video for the competition, showing himself being measured for clothing for it.

His sentencing in December will be three years after he was elected the new president of Tralee Chamber Alliance, in his role as managing director of Ballyseedy. 

At the time, he said he had watched the Chamber Alliance grow in stature in the previous number of years and believed it to be a “really important entity for the town”.

He also said: “Tralee is a fantastic town with massive potential but we need to get better at telling our story to the world. We need more jobs and industry but we can’t sit on our hands waiting for them to find us.” 

Late last year, his tenure came to an end, with him posting on LinkedIn that it had been his “absolute pleasure” to serve in the role for the previous two years, adding: “I’m very proud of what we have accomplished during this period and it really is very satisfying to see our Chamber not only grow but flourish.” 

He has also been no stranger to television, giving gardening advice on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM, and he was a regular at events featuring high-profile politicians in his role with the Tralee Chamber as a successful businessman. Photos of him with then ministers Simon Coveney and Michael McGrath, during his role as chairman, are part of an internet footprint of his impact in his native Kerry.

Shortly before his tenure at the helm of the Chamber Alliance ended, he was front and centre of a bid to attract the World Rally Championship to Tralee, as part of a larger effort by Motorsport Ireland to bring the championship to Kerry, Limerick and Waterford.

As well as heading up the Ballyseedy group, he opened a restaurant in Ardfert, called Smaash Burger over two years ago, of which he said on social media at the time: “Been awhile in the making but so happy with how this has turned out...A very exciting time for myself personally, my family, my friends and most importantly our wonderful team. You're all just SMAASHING!!!😁” 

One of the last photos of him in the press before his arrest last February was taken a year before with fellow members of the Furze Bush syndicate and accompanying a report about the success of the syndicate’s horse Stumptown at a race in Cheltenham in January.

However, just before the big March racing festival at the Cotswolds venue, a statement was issued by the remaining four syndicate members saying that Mr McDonnell “has been removed from the syndicate”, although it acknowledged that he had been a 10% owner of the horse previously.

However, as the horse prepared for his run out at Prestbury Park in March, the once high flier that was Nathan McDonnell was in prison on remand.

Previously the director of 11 companies with a turnover of €4.5m to €5m, McDonnell was granted free legal aid by the Special Criminal Court. And next month, the High Court will hear a petition to wind up Ballyseedy Restaurant Ltd on November 4.

His house of cards has come tumbling down, with his admission of involvement on Monday with the crystal meth haul found in Cork Port in February. Mr McDonnell had previously admitted to gardaí that he had stored the machine at Ballyseedy Garden Centre, having been paid €150,000 in return.

Now, after pleading guilty on Monday to drug importation into the Port of Cork and to assisting or facilitating a criminal gang to import methamphetamine (known as crystal meth), he waits for judgement day on December 17.