Cocaine worth €130k thrown from car with gardaí in pursuit

Court told accused was in grips of addiction with substantial drugs debt

The case against Andrew Maher was that he was operating as a courier for large amounts of cocaine for this organised crime gang.

A Cork man driving back from Dublin with a €130,000 stash of cocaine in his car threw it out the window onto the central median of the motorway as two unmarked Garda cars with blue lights and sirens pursued him.

At Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday, Andrew Maher with an address at St Declan’s Road, Gurranabraher, Cork, was given a sentence of three and a half years with the last year suspended.

Defence senior counsel Elizabeth O’Connell said his actions were being controlled and directed because he was in the grips of addiction and a substantial drug debt.

Judge Colin Daly said he could depart from the mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years but that a custodial term had to be imposed on the 40-year-old.

Detective Garda Robert Kennedy outlined the background to the detection of the crime.

“On July 12, 2021, an operation was put in place by the Cork city divisional drug unit. The information was that he was transporting large quantities of drugs from Dublin to Cork.

“On this day he was seen driving a black Hyundai IX35. Two unmarked official patrol cars operated blue lights and sirens signalling for him to stop. He failed to stop. He swerved his vehicle in a very dangerous manner and discarded a large plastic bag and contents in the central median of the motorway. This was retrieved and found to contain 1.85 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of €130,000.

"Andrew Maher was stopped a couple of kilometres further down the road. He admitted he had travelled from Dublin where he was told to bring them to a location in Cork. He was told to do these runs to clear up a debt of €10,000,” Det Garda Kennedy said.

The case against Maher was that he was operating as a courier for large amounts of cocaine for this organised crime gang.

Defence senior counsel Elizabeth O’Connell said: “The facts of the case are grave in that the amount is not insignificant. The role of Mr Maher was not simply holding the drugs.

“At the time he was fully in the grip of his addiction. He had descended to the point where he was selling and making no money from it. He had a debt which was being used to control and direct his actions leading him to something that was entirely unpredictable for people who had given him a good upbringing.

“At that time he was living in his car and barely hanging on to his employment. The cause of this was drug addiction. The feature that is outstanding is not just that he engaged in rehabilitation but did it so early.

“He has returned to live with his supportive parents and he is in a long-term relationship. He has grappled with his addiction since July 2021. He recognises he cannot take his sobriety for granted.”