Garda told to call drug deals ‘gallons’

An undercover garda made contact with a cocaine dealer and arranged to make controlled purchases of the drug from him on the instruction that the garda should refer on the phone to €100 deals as gallons.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin sentenced Patrick Hanlon to two years in jail with the last six months suspended yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

Det Garda Paul Leahy informed Hanlon, aged 48, of 4 Pembroke Cottages, Passage West, Cork, on the final transaction that he was an undercover member of the gardaí.