:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NUWAXZTWPAJNB523S7LMX5CGHY.jpg)
A father of three who was part of “a large scale drug distribution hub” has been jailed for eight and half years after he admitted possession of over €4 million worth of cannabis and heroin.
Darren Cusack (47) of Saul Road, Crumlin, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at Ballyfermot Drive, Ballyfermot on July 17th 2017. He also admitted possession of three stun guns on the same date and the same place.
Detective Garda Brian Foran told Ronan Kennedy SC, prosecuting, that officers “were practically tripping over stuff” when they discovered 188 Kgs of cannabis herb and 2.9 Kgs of cocaine.
He described it as “a large scale drug distribution hub” telling the court that a money counting machine, two plastic bag sealers, three stun guns and a weighing scales were also found in the garage.
It was accepted that while there was no evidence that Cusack owned the drugs, he was seen carrying flat pack boxes from a truck into a garage where the drugs were stored. Gardaí believe the truck was originally involved in transporting the drugs to the garage.
Det Gda Foran confirmed that a co-accused Stephen Sarsfield (39) of New Street Gardens, Dublin 8, was sentenced to seven years in prison by Judge Martin Nolan in April 2018. His case was brought to the Court of Criminal Appeal on the basis of undue leniency and the sentenced was increased to ten years.
A third man, Mark O’Dwyer (44) of Emmet Buildings, Watling Street, Dublin , was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Nolan in May 2018. O’Dwyer’s case is also subject to a review from the Court of Criminal Appeal on the grounds of undue leniency.
Dominic McGinn SC, defending, said his client was the father of a five year old autistic boy who was hugely dependent on him. Cusack arranged his working day around the child to allow him to pick him up from school and give him his lunch. He said a long prison sentence would really impact on his client’s son.