Courts / Dublin / Report

Legitimate business used to bring more than €6M worth of drugs through Dublin Port

Date
2025-12-19

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

A Northern Irish man has been jailed for 13 years for using his legitimate haulage business to smuggle over €6 million worth of drugs into the country. Padraig Casey (45) was found guilty of five counts related to the seizure of cannabis and cocaine at Dublin Port in 2020. The court heard that Casey, who was the owner and director of a haulage company, used his business to bring the drugs into the country. Judge Elma Sheahan noted that the aggravating factors included the seriousness of the offence, the nature and amount of the drugs, and the fact that Casey used his legitimate business to facilitate the trafficking. In mitigation, the court considered testimonials from Casey's family, his lack of previous convictions for this type of offence, and his long history of employment. Judge Sheahan set a headline sentence of 15 years but reduced it to 13 years, taking mitigation into account. Casey was stopped at Dublin Port upon his return from Rotterdam, where 93kg of cannabis and 60.9kg of cocaine were found in his truck.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Legitimate business used to bring more than €6M worth of drugs through Dublin Port. Charges or matters: five counts relating to the seizure of cannabis and cocaine worth €6.12 million at Dublin Port on June 11, 2020, following a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial last month; possession of cannabis, possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis for sale and supply, possession of cocaine for sale and supply and possession of both drugs in circumstances where they were worth over €13,000. Procedural stage: sentence. Findings: Found guilty

When:

June 11, 2020 Incident
2025-12-19 Publication

Case subjects

Padraig Casey

Convicted Person

Charges: five counts relating to the seizure of cannabis and cocaine worth €6.12 million at Dublin Port on June 11, 2020, following a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial last month; possession of cannabis, possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis for sale and supply, possession of cocaine for sale and supply and possession of both drugs in circumstances where they were worth over €13,000 (Proven)

Finding: Found guilty

Outcome: Found guilty; Judge Sheahan set a headline sentence of 15 years but reduced it to 13 years, taking mitigation into account.