"Keatings was arrested after he was observed by officers from Police Scotland and the NCA making the cash transfer from his transit van to a Mercedes van. A search of the Mercedes found two boxes containing 78 bundles of notes totalling 390,040. The court heard that Keatings' finger prints were found in various locations on the boxes and bank notes."
"His lawyer, Tony Graham, said the decision to quit football led to a "considerable deterioration in his ability to earn" and a "deterioration in his lifestyle". He also cited Keatings' poor mental health as a result of the end of his career. Mr Graham said Keatings had been prescribed various painkillers for his hip but "did not consider they were sufficient to alleviate the pain he endured". Keatings began sourcing illegal painkillers to allow him to self-medicate."
Police observed James Keatings transferring boxes of cash from a transit van to a Mercedes in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, after a National Crime Agency tip-off. A search of the Mercedes uncovered two boxes with 78 bundles of notes totaling £390,040 and Keatings' fingerprints on the boxes and bank notes. Keatings, 33, previously played for several Scottish clubs and retrained as a plasterer after a hip injury. His lawyer said quitting football caused a marked drop in earnings, lifestyle deterioration and poor mental health. Keatings sourced illegal painkillers to self-medicate and accepted payment in medication for moving the money. He received a 13.5-month jail sentence and faces proceeds-of-crime seizures.
Read at www.bbc.com
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