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Drunk convicted killer claimed he stole bag containing €57k in cocaine
Summary
Thomas O'Brien, 49, was jailed for four and a half years after Gardaí found him carrying a bag containing €57,435 worth of cocaine. He was discovered while responding to a call about a man banging on a window in Ballyfermot; O'Brien was intoxicated and acting erratically. Gardaí searched his Dunnes Stores bag and found blocks of cocaine, a knife, weighing scales, plastic bagging, spoons, scissors, gloves and a suspected drugs tick list. O'Brien pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Con Colbert Road, Dublin 8, on 1 May 2018. He claimed he had stolen the bag, but his defence argued he had opportunistically taken the drugs after an overdose the night before. Judge Martin Nolan noted O'Brien's remorse and prior convictions, including manslaughter, robbery, burglary and hijacking, and imposed a sentence of four and a half years, recognising the offence's seriousness but departing from the presumptive minimum of ten years.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Drunk convicted killer claimed he stole bag containing €57k in cocaine. Charges or matters: possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Con Colbert Road, Dublin 8 on May 1, 2018. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- May 1, 2018 Incident
- 2021-02-19 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Con Colbert Road, Dublin 8 on May 1, 2018 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan imposed a four-and-a-half year sentence of imprisonment.
Places mentioned
- Smithfield
- Smithfield Square
- Dublin
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Con Colbert Road
- Con Colbert Road
- near the Bridewell garda station
Topics
Burglary Drugs Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime
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