West Cork man jailed four 14 years over drugs offences

The West Cork man who claimed that gardaí framed him in a big drugs case was jailed for 14 years today after a jury found him guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The jury of nine women and three men took three hours of deliberation to return their three majority 11-1 verdicts.

They found Michael Tanner, 40, from Casement Street, Clonakilty, Co Cork, guilty to two counts of having drugs for the purpose of sale or supply and one count of being in possession of cocaine and cannabis at a house at Bawnleigh, Ballinhassig, Co Cork, on June 2, 2004.

The most serious charge carried a mandatory minimum sentence of up to ten years and up to life imprisonment.

Judge Moran imposed a 14-year-sentence, backdated to the time of his arrest in June 2004.

The judge took into consideration Tanner’s testimony during the trial in which he claimed that the gardaí concocted evidence to frame him and that he was an innocent man.

“The jury rejected that assertion of yours,” Judge Moran said as he imposed sentence.

Detective Sergeant Gerry Crowley said Tanner was the director of operations in the supply of drugs from this house in Ballinhassig.

€70,000 worth of cocaine and cannabis was found.

He testified after the verdicts were handed down that Tanner had no job and no social welfare since 1995.

What the jury could not be told during the six days at hearing was this was a re-trial.

In November 2004, a 15-year prison sentence was imposed on Tanner in this case. The Court of Criminal Appeal ordered a re-trial of that case which brought it back before Cork Circuit Criminal Court last week.

As recently as Monday, Tanner was protesting his innocence.

“The gardaí are lying. I am the only one telling the truth here.”