'Christmas present' pair jailed after €2.3m in cannabis found hidden under frozen chicken

Two men have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following their conviction for possessing approximately 119 kilograms of cannabis with intent to supply. Daniel Bowker, aged 40 and originally from Bolton in the United Kingdom, and Ibrar Sharif, aged 47, from Kilmainham in Dublin, were arrested on 22 December 2022 at a residential address in Kilmainham after gardaí conducted surveillance at an industrial estate in Chapelizod. Officers observed the men unloading cardboard boxes from a van, leading to the discovery of vacuum-packed cannabis worth an estimated €2.3 million concealed beneath frozen chicken. Both men entered guilty pleas before Judge Orla Crowe. The court heard that Bowker and Sharif occupied minor roles within a broader organised crime operation and were vulnerable to exploitation due to financial hardship and alcohol dependency. Evidence presented indicated neither would derive material benefit from the offence. During proceedings, defence counsel submitted character references and noted that both men had claimed they sought to raise funds for Christmas presents. In fashioning her sentence, Judge Crowe acknowledged the progress both accused had demonstrated since their arrest. She imposed a custodial term of seven years but suspended the final year conditional upon two years of probation supervision following release. The case reflects patterns of drug trafficking into Ireland through concealment in legitimate cargo, a method repeatedly observed in significant narcotics operations prosecuted before the Circuit Court. The sentencing aligns with judicial responses to lower-level participants in organised drug supply networks, where vulnerability and minor involvement are recognised as relevant mitigating factors balanced against the gravity of trafficking offences.