Cork cocaine suspect brought from Spain

A Corkman wanted by gardaí for carrying €70,000 cocaine through the city nine years ago was extradited from Spain after being arrested there recently for a minor drugs offence.

He was jailed for 11 years with the last four years suspended yesterday in Cork.

Details of the arrest of Patrick O’Donovan, aged 35, in Spain last month were circulated through Interpol and came to the attention of gardaí. Det Sgt Lar O’Brien said gardaí arranged for his extradition to Ireland.

He was brought before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for trial on the cocaine charges yesterday and a jury of seven women and five men was sworn in to hear the case. However, moments before the trial was due to commence defence senior counsel, Tom Creed, indicated that O’Donovan wished to be re-arraigned on the most serious charge.

O’Donovan then pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of cocaine for sale or supply on March 23, 2006 at a time when its street value exceeded €13,000. Mr Creed SC said there would have been a technical defence about whether the drugs exceeded that street value based on the purity of the drug.

Det Sgt O’Brien said gardaí from the drugs squad were carrying out a surveillance operation and O’Donovan was not the person of interest that day.

The man who was being watched was living at Pope’s Quay, Cork. He was followed by gardaí when they saw him leave his home carrying a rucksack. He went to North Main St, Cork, where he went to a parked car and put a package on the back seat.

The car belonging to O’Donovan was then driven away to South Main St and as far Mount Carmel Rd, where it stopped. Gardaí moved in and said they were going to search the car.

After initially appearing to be co-operative O’Donovan later removed the car keys from the ignition, locked the car, and threw the keys into a nearby garden. The accused was arrested and the car seized.

The car was later searched and a 1kg packet of cocaine with a street value of €70,000 was found under a seat.

He admitted possession of the drugs and claimed he was acting as a courier of the cocaine from North Main St to Wilton for which he was to be paid €2,000. Det Sgt O’Brien said gardaí were not inclined to believe this was the extent of his involvement and they doubted a courier would ever be paid so much for moving drugs this distance. However, O’Donovan did not budge from this account.

Tom Creed SC, defending, said: “He was in genuine fear to name names.”

Det Sgt O’Brien said: “Yes, that could be the case.”

Mr Creed said as far as the accused was concerned this was the biggest mistake he ever made in his life.

Judge Donagh McDonagh said although there was no evidence of the accused being involved in the drugs trade since 2006 it was nevertheless a significant drugs haul.

O’Donovan was living Araglen Court, Togher, Cork, at the time of his arrest in March 2006.