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Repeat offender appeals 8.5-year term for involvement in €2.2m 'drugs distribution centre'
Summary
Gavin Minto, 29, pleaded guilty to possession of three controlled drugs for sale or supply at Kingswood Cross, Clondalkin on 16 July 2020. Gardaí searched a residential property on a warrant and found 151,110 MDMA tablets, 33.6 kilos of cannabis and 668.6 grams of Eutylone, plus a tablet press, weighing scales and a powder, with a combined value of €2.21 million. The court described the garage as a drugs distribution centre and imposed an eight‑and‑a‑half‑year jail term. Minto, who was homeless, in debt and had a difficult background, appealed, arguing the sentence was excessive and that a portion should have been suspended. The Court of Appeal heard arguments from counsel for Minto and the State, noting the judge had considered mitigating factors such as Minto's early plea, cooperation, rehabilitation steps and his cognitive difficulties, but also his nine previous convictions, including three drug offences.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Repeat offender appeals 8.5-year term for involvement in €2.2m 'drugs distribution centre'. Charges or matters: possession of three controlled drugs for sale or supply at Kingswood Cross, Clondalkin on July 16, 2020. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- July 16, 2020 Incident
- March 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2024-10-22 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of three controlled drugs for sale or supply at Kingswood Cross, Clondalkin on July 16, 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: At the Court of Appeal today, Michael O'Higgins SC, representing Minto, said the nomination of eight and a half years as a final sentence to be imposed was "excessive" in all circumstances. Counsel questioned the severity of the sentence imposed in circumstances where the appellant was a homeless person with cognitive difficulties who had "no skin in the game" in terms of finances.
Places mentioned
- Whitestown Drive
- Blanchardstown
- Dublin
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Court of Appeal
Topics
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