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€6m in cannabis stashed in fake Spanish shoebox consignment
Summary
A man from Wicklow has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking offences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Ryon Fitzpatrick, aged 34 and with an address in Enniskelly, was arrested in October 2020 as he accompanied a van containing approximately 304 kilograms of cannabis concealed in shoeboxes near Swords, County Dublin. The drugs, imported from Spain, had an estimated street value of €6.08 million. Fitzpatrick, who was driving a lookout vehicle, fled to Spain following his initial arrest and questioning but was apprehended there last year and extradited to Ireland in December. Judge Pauline Codd imposed a headline sentence of eleven and a half years, reduced to nine years following mitigation, with the final two and a half years suspended on conditions. Two co-accused, Anthony Kinghorn and Mark Nesbitt, both from England, were separately convicted and received eight-year sentences in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: €6m in cannabis stashed in fake Spanish shoebox consignment. Charges or matters: one count of possessing cannabis for sale or supply at Stockhole Lane, Cloghran, Swords, Co Dublin on October 23, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- October 2020 Incident
- October 23, 2020 Incident
- 2024-06-18 Publication
Why: John Fitzgerald SC, defending, said Fitzpatrick fled to Spain because he was under threat. Defence account reported by CNI
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: one count of possessing cannabis for sale or supply at Stockhole Lane, Cloghran, Swords, Co Dublin on October 23, 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Nesbitt (now 53) of Whitefield House, Cecil Crescent, Hatfield, Hertfordshire in the UK was found guilty by a jury following a trial in 2022 and was also jailed for eight years. She suspended the final two and a half years of this sentence on a number of conditions.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Cookstown Road
- Enniskerry
- Wicklow
- Cecil Crescent
- Stockhole Lane
- Whitefield House
Topics
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