Courts / Dublin / Report

Cannabis 'chauffeur' is jailed

Date
2022-11-01

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Swords

County
Dublin

Summary

A man who allowed his vehicle to be used to transport nearly €60,000 worth of cannabis has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. David Murray, aged 33, of Ballyshannon Road, Kilmore, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to knowingly permitting the sale or supply of cannabis in his van at the Malahide Road Roundabout in Swords on 29 October 2020. During a surveillance operation, Murray parked his vehicle at a carpark on the Swords Road. While he was in a nearby shop, another individual placed almost three kilograms of cannabis into the back of his van. Murray was stopped shortly after leaving the carpark and the drugs were recovered. The court heard that gardaí were satisfied the drugs did not belong to Murray and that his role was limited to transporting them. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged Murray's guilty plea was of significant value to the prosecution while noting he was unlikely to reoffend. Murray has 26 previous convictions, including drug and firearms offences.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Cannabis 'chauffeur' is jailed. Charges or matters: knowingly permitting the sale or supply of cannabis in his vehicle on the Malahide Road Roundabout in Swords on October 29, 2020; the offence before the court. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

October 29, 2020 Incident
2022-11-01 Publication

Case subjects

David Murray

Defendant

Charges: knowingly permitting the sale or supply of cannabis in his vehicle on the Malahide Road Roundabout in Swords on October 29, 2020; the offence before the court (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Martin Nolan said Murray had "embarked on this enterprise as he was probably going to receive some kind of reward" but acknowledged that he is "unlikely to re-offend" before he imposed a sentence of 20 months.