No mandatory drugs sentence for man who 'worked all his life'

A 46-year-old taxi driver who "worked all his life" has escaped the mandatory minimum 10-year jail sentence after nearly 10 kilos of cannabis was found in his car.

Joseph Bride of Mount Olive Park, Kilbarrack was caught with the drugs worth €116,000 when gardaí, acting on confidential information, stopped his taxi outside Laytown on September 17, 2010.

The married father of four pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale and supply.

Judge Ellen Ring took into account his clean record and health issues in his family and she jailed him for five years.