Courts / Tipperary / Report

Seven year jail term for man who tried to import over €1.2m worth of cocaine

Date
2025-11-05
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Tipperary Town
County
Tipperary

Summary

John Joseph Carey, a 57-year-old man from Tipperary Town, was sentenced to seven years in prison at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to having 16.6 kg of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Port on October 10, 2022. The drugs, estimated to have a street value of €1,232,560, were concealed in a Perspex box built into the chassis of a camper van driven by Carey. Prosecution evidence indicated that Carey, who has no previous convictions, was pressured to transport the cocaine to settle a debt that had risen to €250,000. Judge Martin Nolan accepted Carey's guilty plea and noted his cooperation with the Garda investigation. The judge described Carey's culpability as "low to mid," acknowledging that he did not own the drugs and acted to resolve personal financial problems. Consequently, the court imposed a sentence of seven years. The matter was finalized with this sentence, reflecting the court's assessment of the defendant's role and mitigating factors.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Seven year jail term for man who tried to import over €1.2m worth of cocaine. Charges or matters: having 16.6 Kg of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Port on October 10, 2022. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Case subjects

John Joseph Carey

Defendant

Charges: having 16.6 Kg of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Port on October 10, 2022 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: He described Carey's culpability as "low to mid" and accepted he didn't own the drugs before he imposed a sentence of seven years.

Tipperary Town

Defendant

Charges: having 16.6 Kg of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Port on October 10, 2022 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention
Residence
Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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