'You are treating the gardaí like dirt', man told after fleeing Garda patrol on motorbike to evade drug search

After gardaí apprehended accused, he violently resisted arrest and threw two brown envelopes away, which were later found to contain 6.5g of cannabis worth €130 each, court heard

The total value of the cannabis seized from the accused was €678, court told.

Envelopes of cannabis were allegedly found on a man who sped away from gardaí at Pope’s Quay in Cork on a black motorcycle on Wednesday evening.

On Friday, at Cork District Court, 23-year-old Marco Vinicius Rodrigues Puga, of Gerald Griffin Street, Cork, was charged with drug-dealing and attempting to obstruct a drugs search.

Garda Alan Donovan objected to bail being granted to the accused, and testified the defendant refused to surrender his passport to gardaí. Garda O’Donovan said they searched his bedroom for drugs following his arrest and no passport was found.

The defendant gave evidence through a Portuguese interpreter that he told gardaí his passport was in his bedroom.

Sergeant John Kelleher cross-examined the accused at Cork District Court, saying: “Either the guards are very bad searchers, or you are telling lies to the court?” 

The 23-year-old replied through the interpreter: “They did not search well.” 

Sgt Kelleher put it to the young man: “You are treating the gardaí like dirt — you fled on your motorbike, you ran from gardaí, you refused to give your details in the Garda station until your solicitor consulted with you, you say the passport is in the bedroom and lo and behold, none — you have said enough lies for one day.” 

Judge Catherine Ryan said in relation to the bail application: “The issue here is the passport — it is a serious problem.” 

The judge remanded him in custody until May 27 but said if friends of the accused could find his passport and bring it to court on that occasion, the application for bail could be revisited.

During the evidence, it emerged there may be two passports for the defendant — one Brazilian and another Portuguese.

Garda Donovan outlined the background to the case during Friday’s hearing and expressed the Garda view the accused was a flight risk.

“On May 20, at approximately 7.15pm, gardaí were on patrol on Popes Quay when they observed the accused on a black motorbike acting in a suspicious manner. On seeing gardaí, the male fled the area at speed.

“About five minutes later, he was observed on Dominic Street, off Shandon Street. Gardaí approached him and identified themselves as members of An Garda Síochána. He then fled on foot in the direction of Shandon Street and was apprehended after a short foot chase.

“Mr Rodrigues Puga then became extremely violent and resisted gardaí, lashing out at them with his closed fists. As he violently resisted arrest, he threw two brown envelopes away. Later recovered by gardaí, they were each found to contain 6.5g of cannabis worth €130 each.

“He was pepper-sprayed by gardaí. Despite this, he continued to resist his arrest until the arrival of additional gardaí to the area, who successfully subdued the accused.

“He was brought to Gurranabraher Garda Station, where he refused to provide his personal details. Gardaí later identified the male following a consultation with his solicitor.

“He was searched at Gurranabraher Garda Station and he was found to have an additional four envelopes on his person, each labelled with different names and each found to be containing 6.5g of cannabis.

“The total value of the cannabis seized from the accused is €678.

“The accused man confirmed that he regularly smokes cannabis and that the envelopes were for his friends.” 

Donal Daly, solicitor, said in the bail application the young man had no previous convictions and it was possible he would not get a custodial sentence after the matter was dealt with at Cork District Court. 

He said the accused is a Brazilian national but lived in Portugal for a number of years and also had a Portuguese passport.