English pair found with €500,000 worth of cocaine jailed

Two English men who smuggled more than €500,000 worth of cocaine into the country have been jailed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Ivan Graham (aged 26) to six years in prison and Voja Pelkovic (aged 24) to four and a half years, after they were caught "red-handed" in a taxi in possession of the drugs. Pelkovic had a previous conviction for money laundering.

Graham (aged 26), of Cliften Road, Rugby, Warickshire and Pelkovic (aged 24), of Chime Close, Oakwood, Derby pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Pearse Square, Pearse Street, Dublin on April 10, 2008.

Judge Martin Nolan said that it would be unfair to impose the presumptive mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in this case as these were "two young gentlemen" who were making "very little money" from the drugs.

He acknowledged that Graham made admissions, pleaded guilty and showed remorse but that he was "prepared to accept the risk" involved with a "huge amount of drugs" for a small level of profit.

He accepted that Pelkovic was not involved to the same degree but that he had to consider his previous serious conviction for money laundering. He said that he "had a chance to back out but didn’t".

Detective Garda Martin Geraghty, told Mr Fergal Foley BL, prosecuting, that officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit stopped a taxi at Pearse Square after mounting a surveillance operation.

He said that the two accused were sitting in the back of the vehicle and that Graham had a black holdall bag on his lap. Gardaí found just more than eight kilograms of cocaine in the bag which was valued at €563,000.

Det Gda Geraghty told Mr Conor Devally SC, defending, that Graham admitted his involvement when questioned, saying: "You have me red-handed" and told them he had agreed to transport the package to clear £2,000 (€2,333) off a £30,000 (€34,990) debt. Graham said he was afraid to go back to England in case "he’d be shot".

Det Gda Geraghty told Mr Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, that Pelkovic became involved in the venture to pay off a debt which had arisen after he was convicted for money laundering. Pelkovic told gardaí that the people he owed money to were putting pressure on him to pay them back.

He said that Pelkovic was not party to the "nitty-gritty" of the deal and was hired as "muscle" but that when he realised drugs were in the bag he chose to remain involved.

Mr Devally said that Graham had demonstrated a "significant degree of honour and personal risk" in admitting to gardai that he was more involved in the venture than Pelkovic and that he had been "cynically targeted by the people he was indebted to".

Mr O’Higgins said that Pelkovic could have denied knowing that drugs were involved but instead made full admissions when questioned.

He told the court that his client was a "very highly regarded amateur boxer" and that he became involved in the delivery because of difficulties he was experiencing with other individuals.