Man jailed for six years for €29k of cocaine

A young Dublin man who was caught with over €29,000 of cocaine during a roadside search has received a six year sentence with three suspended.

Garda Cathal Connelly revealed that he and a colleague noticed Stephen Quigley (aged 25) “visibly shaking” when he noticed the garda patrol car approach his motorbike.

Quigley, of Belclare Park, Ballymun, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing 425 grammes of cocaine worth €29,710 at Belclare Drive on August 28, 2009. He has no previous convictions.

Gda Connelly told Ms Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that he and his colleague approached Quigley because he had acted suspiciously and not because he was on the garda radar.

Gda Connelly said Quigley was visibly nervous, had pulled his motorcycle helmet down and had tried to mount his vehicle before being caught with the large drugs parcel in his front hoodie pocket.

The garda said Quigley explained that he had been asked to deliver the packet to someone in a taxi near a gas station for “a few quid”.

Quigley said he knew he was delivering drugs but didn’t name the person who had given him the job.

Gda Connelly agreed with Mr Sean Gillane SC, defending, that his client only had to be interviewed once in custody because gardaí fully accepted he was telling the truth.

The garda agreed that Quigley has no assets and had not come to adverse attention since.

Mr Gillane submitted to Judge Katherine Delahunt that his client, who has low intellectual ability, had not been under surveillance at the time but was caught because of his own nervousness at the scene.

He asked Judge Delahunt to consider his client’s early guilty plea, his full assistance with the garda investigation and the fact that it took just one interview to satisfy gardaí that he had disclosed everything of relevance.

Judge Delahunt suspended the final three years of Quigley’s sentence but noted that he had offered criminals in the drugs trade a protection against gardaí.