Father of five gets 12 years for manufacturing cocaine

A 39 year-old father of five who ran a cocaine manufacturing and mixing plant at his home has received a 12 year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Drug paraphernalia and cocaine valued at €440,000 was found at the home of Rory Lyons, of Fortlawn Park, Blanchardstown, who pleaded guilty to possession of seven kilos of the drug for sale or supply at that address on September 21, 2004.

Judge Katherine Delahunt suspended four years of the sentence and said the offence was at the serious end of the scale as Lyons was operating a manufacturing and mixing plant rather than simply storing drugs.

Sergeant Michael Kennedy earlier told Luan O Braonain BL, prosecuting, that gardaí received information that equipment associated with the drugs trade was seen being carried onto Lyons’ property.

Gardaí went to his address the following day with a search warrant and saw Lyons in his back garden beside buckets of the white powder "Manatol" which is commonly used as a mixing agent in the preparation of cocaine for sale.

Lyons was wearing latex gloves which he removed as gardaí jumped over the garden wall and began a search of the house. Seven kilos of cocaine was found in the shed aswell as a vacuum compressor and weighing scales.

Felix McEnroy SC, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. Judge Delahunt did not accept that Lyons was addicted to cocaine based on a medical report she received.

Mr McEnroy said Lyons had run up a debt to a "very serious individual" who was connected to "very serious criminal activity" but had since been shot dead. Lyons was said to have considered his life to be in danger from this individual.

Sgt Kennedy agreed with Mr McEnroy that Lyons would have been seen as a "safe pair of hands" and had not been on the "garda radar".