Five years jail for cocaine trafficker

A German who believed it was easier to get cocaine into London by coming through Cork was sentenced to five years with the last three years suspended today.

Mike Hoffman (aged 30), of Bissenberger, Strabe 40, Biskirchen, Stadt Leun, Germany, was caught with €140,000 worth of cocaine hidden in his luggage at Cork Airport. He had flown from Nairobi via Amsterdam to Cork and the ultimate destination for the drugs was to have been the UK.

He told investigating gardaí his motivation for importing the drugs was financial and that he was labouring under an addiction to drugs.

Judge Con Murphy said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court: "This is a very serious offence carrying a maximum of life imprisonment and recommended minimum of ten years."

However, he said there were strong mitigating factors in terms of the defendant's medical and social problems. The judge was told that the accused was naïve as a child and easily lead and had serious medical and social difficulties.

Detective Sergeant Lar O’Brien said it was difficult to communicate with Hoffman as he was hard of hearing and only spoke German. However, he said that with the help of an interpreter he did respond to questions.

The detective agreed that the defendant had medical difficulties and appeared to have deteriorated since May 20 when he was arrested. Hoffman had requested to be held in solitary confinement in prison.

Hoffman pleaded guilty to being in possession of cocaine on May 20 at Cork Airport, Kinsale Road for the purpose of selling or supplying at a time when its street value exceeded €13,000 figure.

His co-accused will be sentenced in February.