Louth drug dealer has €1.7m drug charges dropped

A convicted Louth drug dealer has had new charges for allegedly dealing in drugs valued almost €1.7m dropped at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Kieran Boylan (aged 37), of Rockfield Park, Ardee was facing six charges of having both cocaine and heroin for sale or supply at Lynch’s Yard, Curraghbeg, also in Ardee on October 6, 2005.

He had pleaded not guilty to the new charges and elected for trial which was expected to take three weeks and was set down for January next year.

Ms Una Ni Raifeartaigh BL, prosecuting, told Judge Katherine Delahunt that the State would not be proceeding with the case and asked that a nolle prosequi be entered.

Boylan was given a five year sentence in 2006 by Judge Desmond Hogan for drug dealing after he pleaded guilty to being in possession of cocaine and heroin valued at almost €800,000 on December 2, 2003.

He was caught in a garda stakeout operation receiving a package of drugs from an English man at the Shell Service Station on East Wall Rd in the Dublin Docklands area.

Boylan had also been jailed in England for seven and a half years in 1997 for possession of cannabis resin.

Judge Hogan said when imposing the five year sentence that he was aware Boylan was in debt and under pressure from the English criminals in his previous conviction who blamed him for "loosing their property" and that he felt he owed them money to cover their loss, but his involvement was still a serious crime.

He suspended the last two years of the five year term on condition that Boylan kept the peace and be of good behaviour for five years after noting that a co-accused in that case, who had no previous convictions, had been sentenced to three years at Dundalk Circuit Criminal Court

Last February Boylan had cash totalling some €34,000 and a car confiscated as the proceeds of criminal activity by order of Judge Hogan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.