Man (49) caught with €700,000 of drugs in Cork warehouse jailed for five years

A 49-year-old man with no previous convictions has been jailed for five years after he was caught with €700,000 worth of drugs in a warehouse in Cork.

Eugene Barrett, with an address at Smithgrove Terrace, Middle Glanmire Road, pleaded guilty last month to possessing €700,000 worth of drugs for sale or supply at Ardrostig, Bandon Road on September 29th last, contrary to Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.

Det Garda Eoin O’Toole, of the Cork City Divisional Drugs Unit, told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that gardaí and Revenue customs officers carried out a joint investigation after 35kg of cannabis was initially intercepted at a holding unit in Spain.

He said the cannabis was then brought into Ireland and held at the Bandon Road storage unit and the joint investigation led them to Barrett, who made admissions in relation to the haul when he was arrested and questioned about it.

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Harm to society

Judge Colin Daly said Barrett was involved in the supply and distribution of a very significant quantity of drugs and that his culpability was high. He said he had to take into account the harm caused to society by a drug enterprise such as this one.

By way of mitigation, the judge noted that Barrett had made admissions, co-operated with gardaí and came forward on a signed plea of guilty, which obviated the need for a trial. He also noted that Barrett had no previous convictions.

He said Barrett had made no financial gain from this drug deal and accepted that the accused was remorseful for his actions. The judge said all of this amounted to the necessary exceptional circumstances to allow him to depart from the mandatory 10-year term specified in the legislation.

Judge Daly said he believed the appropriate sentence was one of six years, but he suspended the final 12 months and backdated it to September 29th last, when Barrett first went into custody.