Courts / Dublin / Report

Champion boxer jailed for holding €40k in cocaine

Summary

Andrew Begley, a 25‑year‑old former Leinster champion boxer from Dublin, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of 581 g of cocaine found at his home on 10 April 2015. He also admitted to possessing €62 worth of cannabis. The court accepted that he was holding the drugs for someone else to settle a debt of about €5 000, but noted he was aware of his actions and had associations with drug‑trade contacts. Judge Martin Nolan suspended the final 32 months of a four‑year sentence, imposing strict conditions. Begley had eight prior convictions for minor traffic offences. Gardaí searched his house following a tip, discovering a large quantity of cocaine, a tick list and a mixing agent in a wardrobe and bedside locker. Begley claimed he had been instructed to hand over the drugs, but the police were not fully satisfied with his explanation.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Champion boxer jailed for holding €40k in cocaine. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• April 10, 2015 Incident
• 2017-03-21 Publication

Why: A champion boxer has been jailed for 16 months after he was caught holding €40,000 worth of cocaine in order to pay off a drug debt. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report