Cork woman 'panicky and upset' when stopped with €243,000 cocaine

Confidential information prompted gardaí to place a Cork woman under surveillance before she collected over €243,000 worth of cocaine in Portlaoise, court hears

The detective said there was a bag in the footwell of the front passenger seat which contained over 3kg of cocaine.  Stock picture

Confidential information prompted gardaí to mount surveillance to catch a woman who drove from Cork to Portlaoise to pick up a €243,000 stash of cocaine.

When they stopped the 32-year-old woman, she was "panicky, nervous, and upset".

Detective Garda Eoin O’Toole gave this evidence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Friday, stating that old Ellen Tobin was observed driving her car on the M8 motorway at Riverstown, Glanmire, on August 11, 2025. She was anxious when approached by gardaí.

The detective said there was a bag in the footwell of the front passenger seat which contained over 3kg of cocaine. 

Ms Tobin was in fear and would not identify the person who told her to collect the drugs from an unnamed person in Portlaoise and to bring them back to Cork.

However, she did admit that this was her second such trip to collect drugs to bring them back to Cork. 

Ms Tobin said she had been paid €400 for that first occasion and given a small amount of cocaine for her own use. 

Det Garda O’Toole said the accused told gardaí she had hoped to be paid more for the second delivery but did not know how much cocaine she was transporting.

Marjorie Farrelly, defending, said the woman had no previous convictions of any kind. In her mid-twenties, she had become addicted to alcohol and later to cocaine and began to act as “a low level mule”.

In the defendant’s own words, she said: “This led me down a dangerous path and I could not find my way out of it.” 

Ms Farrelly said Ms Tobin had expressed remorse at every step along the way and was deemed by the Probation Service to be a low risk of re-offending. 

Furthermore, there was a favourable governor’s report to the effect that she had been using her time remanded in Limerick Prison very positively.

Judge Sinéad Behan said there were a number of reports and matters to be considered. She remanded Ms Tobin in continuing custody for sentencing on October 29.

Ms Tobin, of 179 Comeragh Park, The Glen, Cork, admitted offences, the most serious of which was possession of drugs for sale or supply at a time when its value exceeded €13,000, the threshold which allows for a minimum sentence of 10 years unless there are exceptional circumstances.