Albert Gimy Linul: deported from Britain, 24 prior convictions, then 60 cloned cards in his sock in Dublin

The Romanian national moved to Ireland shortly after his UK deportation and was caught testing cards for a sophisticated international skimming operation. With two Irish convictions and 22 foreign convictions already recorded, he received another three-year sentence.

Published 26 July 2026 · Remigration Ireland case ledger

60 cardsConcealed in Linul's sock when stopped

24 priorsTwo in Ireland and 22 abroad

3 yearsDublin Circuit Criminal Court sentence

Up to €5mReported potential exposure, not proved theft

When two Garda detectives stopped Albert Gimy Linul and Daniel Almajanu in Temple Bar on 13 February 2020, Linul had 60 cloned bank cards concealed in his sock. The discovery exposed the Dublin end of a cross-border operation: UK bank customers' details had been captured with “deep insert” skimming devices, written onto ordinary plastic cards, and supplied for fraudulent use in shops.

This was not Linul's first encounter with law enforcement. The sentencing record gave him 24 previous convictions across Ireland and other countries. His defence told the court that he had already been deported from the United Kingdom before moving to Ireland and becoming involved in the operation that produced his next prison sentence.

From UK card data to Dublin shops

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a Romanian criminal group operating in the UK used deep-insert skimmers at HSBC outlets to collect customers' card details. Almajanu used a computer and card reader/writer to manufacture false cards. Linul then tested and used cards in Dublin shops, buying goods including cigarette cartons that were resold.

Garda Ciaran Ronan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said Linul stole £1,185 from HSBC. When Gardaí searched the Prussia Street flat associated with the operation, they recovered more cards, a Lenovo laptop, a card reader/writer and cigarette cartons. RTÉ reported that the computer held details for more than 1,000 bank cards, creating a potential fraud exposure of up to €5 million.

That €5 million was potential exposure, not money proved stolen by Linul. The direct theft figure attributed to him in court was £1,185. The distinction matters: a hard account should not turn the capacity of a criminal operation into a false individual proceeds figure.

A lower-level role inside sophisticated international fraud

The court was told that both men were considered members of the Romanian organised crime group. Judge Melanie Greally described the offences as an offshoot of organised and sophisticated international fraud.

The evidence did not make Linul the card maker or organiser. Almajanu manufactured the cards, recruited Linul and was found to have played a pivotal organisational role. The judge accepted that Linul operated at a relatively low level. “Lower level”, however, did not mean accidental: his guilty pleas covered repeated possession, use, theft and attempted theft.

The record before he entered this operation

Linul was a Romanian national who had moved from Romania to the United Kingdom. His defence said he became involved in offending there, was deported from the UK and moved to Ireland shortly afterwards, where he entered this operation.

At sentence, he had two previous Irish convictions, for dangerous driving and handling stolen property. He also had 22 convictions abroad, including in his native Romania, for theft, fraud and drug offences. The UK deportation was evidence reported from his sentencing hearing; it does not by itself establish that Linul breached Irish immigration law after arrival.

The exact pleas and sentence

Linul pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a total of 60 fraudulent cards at Dublin locations on 13 and 14 February 2020. He also admitted eight counts of using a false HSBC card, ten theft counts and two attempted-theft counts committed between 1 November 2019 and 4 February 2020.

On 3 February 2021, Judge Greally sentenced Linul to three years' imprisonment. The term was backdated to the date he entered custody. Almajanu received four years and four months, reflecting his different role. No reported appeal determination was located for Linul, so this page does not claim that he appealed or that appellate routes were exhausted.

Case chronology

Before Ireland: Linul moves from Romania to the UK, becomes involved in offending and is deported. His eventual Irish sentencing record lists 22 foreign convictions for theft, fraud and drug offences.
Shortly after UK deportation: Defence evidence says Linul moves to Ireland and becomes involved in the card operation.
Before February 2020: He acquires two Irish convictions, for dangerous driving and handling stolen property.
1 November 2019–4 February 2020: Linul commits eight false-card-use offences, ten thefts and two attempted thefts at Dublin shops.
13 February 2020: Garda detectives stop Linul and Almajanu in Temple Bar. RTÉ reports that 60 fraudulent cards are concealed in Linul's sock.
13–14 February 2020: The three possession counts cover 60 fraudulent cards at Dublin locations.
13 January 2021: His guilty pleas and the prosecution evidence are publicly reported; sentencing is adjourned.
3 February 2021: Dublin Circuit Criminal Court imposes three years' imprisonment, backdated to the date he entered custody.

The taxpayer cost: one known interval and one conditional illustration

The Irish Prison Service reported an average annual cost of €99,072 per available staffed prison space for 2024, excluding capital expenditure. RTÉ reported Linul's arrest on 13 February 2020, and the sentencing coverage says he remained in custody before receiving sentence on 3 February 2021. That known pre-sentence interval was approximately 356 days. Applying the 2024 benchmark retrospectively produces about €96,565, rounded here to €97,000.

If Linul served the complete three-year custodial term from the backdated custody point, the same flat benchmark would produce approximately €297,216, rounded to €297,000. That second figure is explicitly conditional. The reviewed reports do not provide his actual release date or confirm how remission affected time served.

Neither amount is an invoice for one prisoner. Both use one recent system-wide average across earlier years when costs changed. They exclude specified capital expenditure, Garda and GNECB investigation, prosecution, legal aid, court administration, cross-border police coordination, bank losses and victim remediation. The public record supports a known-custody benchmark and a full-term illustration—not a fabricated exact bill.

What the public record does—and does not—show

The record establishes Linul's Romanian origin, UK deportation history as reported at sentence, 24 previous convictions, exact Irish pleas and three-year sentence. It does not establish a conviction for leading an organised crime group. It does not make him responsible for every crime linked in intelligence reporting to the wider gang.

Nor does it establish an Irish deportation or removal outcome. Romania is an EU member state, and the legal position of an EU citizen cannot be reduced to the fact of an earlier British deportation. No reliable source located for this file records Linul's release date, an Irish removal order or his present whereabouts.