Courts / Laois / Report

Gardai don't accept man caught with €500k in cocaine was acting under duress

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing, 34‑year‑old Eoin Connolly of Oak Lawn, Portlaoise, was sentenced to six and a half years' imprisonment for possession of drugs for sale or supply. Connolly, who had 27 prior convictions, pleaded guilty to the offence committed on 16 March 2019 at Outer Ring Road, Clondalkin, where Gardaí seized 8.1 kg of cocaine and other drugs, totalling €580,210 in value. He claimed he was acting under duress, saying he had been threatened and was paying off a drug debt, but the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau's Detective Garda Brian Foran told Judge Martin Nolan that this claim was not accepted. The judge placed Connolly in the "middle to lower" range of involvement, noting he was unlikely to be the owner or main beneficiary of the drugs and that he had transported them for reward.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Gardai don't accept man caught with €500k in cocaine was acting under duress. Charges or matters: possession of drugs for sale or supply at Outer Ring Road, Clondalkin on March 16, 2019. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• March 16, 2019 Incident
• 2020-06-22 Publication

Why: He agreed that he had "turned off the tap" two and a half years ago because he just couldn't keep doing it. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report