Courts / Louth / Report

Mule internally concealed €40k in cocaine

Date
2020-11-05

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Dundalk

County
Louth

Summary

Steven Smith, a 44-year-old former resident of Dundalk, Louth, appeared at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on appeal regarding his conviction for possession and unlawful importation of cocaine. Smith pleaded guilty to concealing 49 pellets of cocaine, valued at €42,920, internally while arriving at Dublin Airport from Brazil via Amsterdam on November 21, 2013. He had previously left Ireland on High Court bail in 2014 but was returned from the United Kingdom in June following a Crime Watch appeal. Judge Martin Nolan noted that Smith, a drug user at the time, acted for reward or debt alleviation and was likely at the lowest level of the trafficking operation. The judge acknowledged Smith's cooperation and admissions. Judge Nolan imposed a sentence of three years and three months, backdated to June to reflect time already spent in custody. Defense counsel Dominick McGinn SC highlighted Smith's history of moving to Canada, his subsequent downward spiral, and his recent efforts to reform, including ending drug use and gaining employment in the UK. The court accepted that the method of importation indicated desperation rather than high-level criminal enterprise. Smith has prior convictions in Canada, the UK, and Ireland for various offences, including assault and theft.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Mule internally concealed €40k in cocaine. Charges or matters: possession and unlawful importation of cocaine at Dublin Airport on November 21, 2013. Procedural stage: appeal

When: