Courts / Meath / Report

Jail time doubled for man caught with over €1m in cocaine

Date
2023-11-27

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Ashbourne

County
Meath

Summary

In a sophisticated operation, Andrew Lawlor (38) was caught with €1.2 million of cocaine hidden in a modified compartment of his van. He had originally pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply and was sentenced by Trim Circuit Court to four and a half years' imprisonment, with the final two and a half years suspended. The Court of Appeal, finding the headline sentence of six and a half years unduly lenient, quashed the original sentence and re‑sentenced Lawlor to seven and a half years, of which three and a half years were suspended. The final imposed term is four years' imprisonment. Lawlor, a father of two, had pleaded guilty, expressed remorse, and had been drug‑free and training to become a drug counsellor at the time of sentencing. The appeal was brought by the State, arguing the value and sophisticated concealment of the drugs warranted a higher headline sentence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail time doubled for man caught with over €1m in cocaine. Charges or matters: possessing €1.2 million of the drug that was hidden in his van and was uncovered after a Garda surveillance operation in 2020; possession of cocaine for sale or supply on July 11, 2020, at the Ashbourne Business Centre on the Ballybin Road in Co Meath. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

July 11, 2020 Incident
2023-11-27 Publication

Why: Because of Covid restrictions in place at the time, gardaí released Lawlor for a time but when they discovered the drugs in the van, he agreed to return to the station and made out a written statement, said Mr O'Hanlon. CNI source report

Case subjects

Andrew Lawlor

Convicted Person

Charges: possessing €1.2 million of the drug that was hidden in his van and was uncovered after a Garda surveillance operation in 2020; possession of cocaine for sale or supply on July 11, 2020, at the Ashbourne Business Centre on the Ballybin Road in Co Meath (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Andrew Lawlor (38) was originally jailed for two years after he pleaded guilty to possessing €1.2 million of the drug that was hidden in his van and was uncovered after a Garda surveillance operation in 2020. At Trim Circuit Court in February, Judge Elva Duffy sentenced Lawlor to four and a half years in prison, with the final two and a half years suspended in mitigation considering his guilty plea, personal circumstances and efforts at rehabilitation for a drug and alcohol addiction.