Courts / Dublin / Report

Gambling addict caught with €2.8m in cocaine

Date
2023-07-14

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Christopher Gaynor, 39, of Woodavens, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply after Gardaí seized 40 kg of cocaine worth €2.8 million and €21,100 in cash from his family home. The drugs were found in the attic of a house in Collinstown Grove, where Gardaí had observed suspicious activity and monitored the area following a tip‑off. Gaynor, who had accrued €70,000 in gambling‑related debt, admitted to being involved in the drug trade but not profiting from it. Judge Orla Crowe sentenced him to seven years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months suspended for three years, and directed him to be supervised by the Probation Service for 18 months after release. The court noted the high value of the drugs, the social harm caused, and Gaynor's lack of prior convictions and early guilty plea. The sentence was back‑dated to 26 June.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Gambling addict caught with €2.8m in cocaine. Charges or matters: one count of possession of cocaine for sale or supply on August 21, 2022, at Collinstown Grove, Clondalkin. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

August 21, 2022 Incident
August 19, 2022 Other
August 21, 2021 Other
June 26 Hearing Or Sentence
2023-07-14 Publication

Case subjects

Christopher Gaynor

Defendant

Charges: one count of possession of cocaine for sale or supply on August 21, 2022, at Collinstown Grove, Clondalkin (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Crowe handed Gaynor an eight-year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended for three years. She said the court accepts Gaynor had no propriety interest in the drugs and set a headline sentence of 12 years due to the "gravity of the offending".