Courts / Dublin / Report

Former bus driver gets 10-year sentence following international police operation in to drugs smuggling

Date
2014-12-05

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin City

County
Dublin

Summary

Sunny Idah, a 39‑year‑old former CIE bus driver of Nigerian origin, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for soliciting two undercover Gardaí to import a kilogram of cocaine from Brazil. The case stemmed from an international police operation involving Swiss and Irish undercover officers. Idah secretly recorded offers of €5,000 each to the undercover officers to swallow 1 kg of cocaine, worth €140,000, and bring it back to Ireland. He had provided the officers with €400 for a hotel room and $1,000 for flight tickets, but the officers never travelled. The court back‑dated the sentence to September 2010, when Idah was first taken into custody. Idah had previously received a 13‑year sentence for a related drug trafficking offence, which was overturned on appeal. The judge described the operation as sophisticated and noted the potential impact on users and addicts if the drugs had reached the market. Sunny Idah pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Former bus driver gets 10-year sentence following international police operation in to drugs smuggling. Charges or matters: soliciting another person to unlawfully import cocaine on dates between September 14 and 19, 2010. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

September 14 Hearing Or Sentence
September 2010 Incident
2014-12-05 Publication

Why: " He explained that Idah, who has been in custody for four years, had become friendly with people from Nigeria and was asked to get involved in the enterprise. CNI source report

Case subjects

Sunny Idah

Defendant

Charges: soliciting another person to unlawfully import cocaine on dates between September 14 and 19, 2010 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Catherine Murphy today imposed a ten year sentence and suspended the final year. Idah was previously sentenced to 13 years imprisonment for this and another drug trafficking offence.