A Donegal man living in England who had drugs worth almost £2 million was jailed for five years by Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
Patrick Joseph Orr drove a car which detectives were expecting to be on the car ferry, Isle of Inisfree, when it docked at Dublin's North Wall ferry terminal. He admitted he knew he was carrying drugs and was to be paid £3,000 for acting as a courier.
Orr (52) from Moville, with an address at Glen Avenue, Blackley, Manchester, pleaded guilty to having heroin, cannabis resin and amphetamines for sale or supply at Terminus Road South, North Wall, on October 31st, 1998.
Det Garda Jim McDermott said the cache included almost three kgs of heroin valued £1 million; 47.5 kgs of cannabis resin valued £475,000; and almost five kgs of amphetamines valued £250,000.
Judge Dunne said the trade in drugs was a trade in human tragedy. Orr became involved because he was vulnerable.
She imposed a five-year sentence on the heroin charge and suspended the final two years, and three-year sentences on the cannabis and amphetamine charges with the final year suspended.
Det Garda McDermott told prosecuting counsel Mr Hugo Hynes the drugs had been concealed in door panels. Gardai stopped the car at about 7.25 a.m. and took it to Store Street station, where the drugs were recovered. Orr told gardai his girlfriend, who was with him in the car, knew nothing about the drugs.
Det Garda McDermott agreed with defence counsel Mr Eamonn Leahy SC Orr was merely a courier. He had lost his home in Manchester as a result of it. Mr Leahy said Orr had got into financial trouble and owed some £1,300.