Courts / Dublin / Report
Taxi driver got involved in €3.5m drugs operation after "taking over cousin's debt"
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 31‑year‑old Michael Smullen pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing cannabis and cocaine. Gardaí had seen him take two bags from a lock‑up facility, drive a short distance and hand them to another man. The bags contained drugs worth over €114,900, and investigators later found 18.5 kg of cocaine, heroin, ketamine, cannabis herb and resin, and €51,000 of MDMA in the lock‑up, bringing the total value of all drugs to €3,592,374. Smullen, a father of two living on Oak Park Avenue, Royal Oak, Santry, claimed he had taken over his cousin's debt to dealers and was under pressure. His lawyer argued a psychologist report showed a tendency to take on others' problems and presented character references. The court remanded him in custody pending sentencing. The other man involved received a six‑year sentence with two years suspended for possession of the bags.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Taxi driver got involved in €3.5m drugs operation after "taking over cousin's debt". Charges or matters: two charges of possessing the drugs at St Joseph's Avenue and St Columba's Road Lower, Drumcondra, Dublin, on December 20, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- December 20, 2017 Incident
- 2019-02-07 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: two charges of possessing the drugs at St Joseph's Avenue and St Columba's Road Lower, Drumcondra, Dublin, on December 20, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Det Gda Hearne told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that the other man involved in taking the drugs from Smullen received a six year sentence with two suspended. He asked the judge to take into account Smullen's early guilty plea and to suspend the final part of the sentence imposed.; Judge Sheahan remanded Smullen in custody pending sentence next week.
Places mentioned
- Oak Park Avenue
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- St Joseph's Avenue
- St Columba's Road
Topics
Drugs Stage Sentence Taxi Trouble
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