Cannabis 'chauffeur' is jailed

A man who allowed his vehicle to be used to transport nearly €60,000 worth of cannabis has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. David Murray, aged 33, of Ballyshannon Road, Kilmore, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to knowingly permitting the sale or supply of cannabis in his van at the Malahide Road Roundabout in Swords on 29 October 2020. During a surveillance operation, Murray parked his vehicle at a carpark on the Swords Road. While he was in a nearby shop, another individual placed almost three kilograms of cannabis into the back of his van. Murray was stopped shortly after leaving the carpark and the drugs were recovered. The court heard that gardaí were satisfied the drugs did not belong to Murray and that his role was limited to transporting them. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Murray's guilty plea was of significant value to the prosecution while noting he was unlikely to reoffend. Murray has 26 previous convictions, including drug and firearms offences.