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Truck driver denies admitting to cocaine smuggling

Summary

A Laois truck driver, 41, appealed his 2018 conviction for possession of cocaine for sale or supply. He was found with almost €300,000 worth of cocaine stashed in a fire extinguisher in his cab and in a bag on the trailer of his truck seized at Dublin Port. A jury acquitted him of the trailer drugs but convicted him of the cab drugs, for which Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced him to eight and a half years' imprisonment. The driver denied any knowledge of the drugs and denied making an alleged admission to a customs officer, who had approached him in custody and asked, "So you found the drugs, then?" The appeal argued that the alleged admission was inadmissible because the driver had not been cautioned and that no corroborative evidence supported the claim that he had made the admission. The Court of Appeal has reserved judgment. The unnamed 41-year-old pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Truck driver denies admitting to cocaine smuggling. Charges or matters: possession of cocaine for sale or supply on August 20, 2015. Procedural stage: appeal. Findings: Acquitted

When:

• August 20, 2015 Incident
• 2020-06-12 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Appeal

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Read the original CNI report