Eight years for postman who hid €1m worth of cannabis

A postman who stored over €1m worth of cannabis in bushes near his home to repay a debt has been given an eight year sentence by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Matthew McConville (aged 24) was chased by gardai into his former girlfriend’s house where they discovered a stash of cocaine stored by her and her tenant Paul Ryan (aged 30) who was given a three year sentence

McConville, of Cedar Court, Ballybrack had been storing the drugs to repay a €1,700 debt he accrued when he had an accident in the car owned by his former girlfriend, Rhona Earls.

He pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis resin valued at €1,308,000 for sale or supply at Pairc na Silla, Loughlinstown on January 5, 2007.

Ryan and Earls (aged 27), both of Parc na Silla Rise, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine valued at €2,000 for sale or supply in their home. Earls is due to be sentenced in April.

Ms Susan McConville told Judge Delahunt that her family had been devastated by her son’s crime. She said he had "changed, moved out of home and quit his job as a postman" after meeting Earls.

Judge Delahunt said both men had engaged in the offences for financial gain.

She told McConville: "You may be a low level player, but you are still an important cog in the drugs trade. You provided a barrier between those higher up the ladder than you and the gardaí."

Judge Delahunt imposed a sentence of eight years imprisonment with the final year suspended on McConville and a three sentence with the final 18 months suspended on Ryan.

Garda Brian Davern told prosecuting counsel, Mr Dominic McGinn BL, that acting on confidential information gardai took up surveillance on a green area in Pairc na Silla Rise in Loughlinstown and observed McConville walk towards the bushes and look inside several holdall bags before fleeing when he saw them.

Gardaí gave chase and gained entry by force to McConville’s girlfriend’s house where Ryan was a tenant. They searched the house and found cocaine valued at €2,000 in the garden.

McConville reappeared and told gardaí that the people in the house had nothing to do with the cannabis resin valued at €1,308,000 he had stored in the bushes.

Gda Davern said McConville had seven previous convictions and Ryan had no convictions.

Gda Davern agreed with Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, defending, that McConville told gardaí he had been storing the drugs to repay the €1,700 debt. He also agreed that McConville had co-operated with gardaí, came from a respectable background and had broken ties with Earls.

Mr Vaughan Buckley said McConville had acted honourably during the investigation and took full responsibility for his role. He asked the court to show leniency and not to impose the mandatory minimum sentence of ten years applicable to this offence under the legislation.

Garda Mark Russell agreed with Mr Karl Finnegan BL, defending Ryan, that his client had been in joint possession of the cocaine with Earls but had not come to any further garda attention.

Mr Finnegan said Ryan had pleaded guilty at an early stage and co-operated with gardaí. He had two children with his partner and was also caring for her three children. He was working full time and had not come to any further garda attention.