UK men caught with €2.3m in cannabis concealed under frozen chicken

Two British men pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing approximately €2.3 million worth of cannabis for sale or supply on 22 December 2022. Daniel Bowker, aged 40, of Bolton, United Kingdom, and Ibrar Sharif, aged 47, also from Bolton, were arrested in Dublin after gardaí conducted a surveillance operation at an industrial estate in Chapelizod. Officers observed the men unloading cardboard boxes from a van at a residential address in Kilmainham, where 119 kilos of vacuum-packed cannabis was later seized, concealed beneath frozen chicken. The court heard both men occupied a minor role within an organised crime operation and were vulnerable to exploitation owing to financial hardship and alcohol dependency. Defence counsel submitted character references and noted neither man had displayed signs of material benefit from the crime. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned sentencing to 9 October pending educational and prison governor reports.