A man caught trying to flush four bags of cocaine down the toilet when gardaí raided a house in Co Meath 18 months ago was jailed for six years at Trim Circuit Court .
Diarmuid Gray, a 35-year-old father of one with an address at Manimore House, Milltown, Bellewstown, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs with a market value of €370,000 for sale or supply on August 24th, 2016.
The court heard that gardaí had been keeping the defendant under surveillance. And following the raid the four bags of cocaine were recovered from the manhole outside the ensuite bathroom.
Paving slabs
More drugs, including cannabis, ecstasy, heroin and designer psychedelic narcotics, were discovered in his bedroom and in barrels beneath paving slabs outside.
Weighing scales, gloves and mixing agents were found in the bedroom while almost €72,000 in cash was discovered in a safe.
The court also heard that Gray was stopped while driving on Boyne Street Dublin 2 on February 10th, 2017, and a packet of cocaine was found hidden under the passenger’s seat. A second packet of the drug was discovered hidden in the engine.
Defence counsel told the court his client had owed €10,000 to a criminal gang at the time and had been offered free accommodation in return for minding the drugs and the cash.
Judge Michael O Shea sentenced Gray to five years for the Bellewstown seizure and a consecutive term of one year arising from the Dublin offence.