A man has been given a 10-year sentence by Judge Desmond Hogan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his role in a €3 million cocaine operation. Aiden Deering (31), a printing company manager, of Penrose Street, Ringsend, got involved because of debts built up by his cocaine addiction.
He told gardaí he was in fear of the drugs thugs who hired him.
Deering pleaded guilty to having the cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Self-Storage on the Naas Road and at Naas Road Business Park in December 2004.
Judge Hogan said Deering should have known better than to get involved in this offence at his age. While the cocaine was stored "perhaps for someone with much greater involvement than him", he was nonetheless entrusted with a serious amount of drugs.
Judge Hogan suspended the last two years of the sentence having taken into account Deering's "limited co-operation with gardaí" and that he had no previous convictions.
Det Sgt Justin Kelly told Cormac Quinn, prosecuting, that two hold-all bags with almost €1.4 million worth of cocaine were found in the boot of Deering's car when it was searched at the printing company for which he worked in Naas Road Business Park.
A search of a storage unit under Deering's name at Dublin Self-Storage revealed two boxes labelled Cadbury's chocolates and a bag containing almost €1.7 million worth of the drug. The unit also contained a €20,000 printing press that Deering had bought because he intended to set up his own company. He admitted owning the drugs found in the storage unit which he had been renting for €260 a month.
Deering said he was paid €2,000 to hold the drugs and had been asked by an acquaintance to do it but refused to give any more information because his life and that of his son were under threat.
Det Sgt Kelly agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, that Deering's fears were genuine and that he had shown remorse. He was acutely aware of the devastating effect it had on his partner and elderly parents. He further agreed that Deering had a cocaine habit in 1996 but had managed to come off the drug with the help of a counsellor. He relapsed in December 2003 and had been attending the same counsellor since September 2004.
Mr O'Higgins told the judge his client was "a decent, hard-working, industrious man" and that would assist him in his rehabilitation following his release. He had got involved because of debts.