Courts / Dublin / Report
Addict sold cocaine to repay gambling debt to 'sinister parties', court hears
Summary
A man found with cocaine worth €100,000 was selling the drug to repay "sinister parties" who had used a pipe bomb to intimidate him after he racked up gambling debts in the hundreds of thousands of Euro, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard. Craig Harris (34) came forward from the District Court on signed pleas to possession of cocaine for sale or supply. He received a five-year sentence from Judge Pauline Codd in July 2023 with four years suspended. When gardai searched his home, a pipe bomb was found near Harris's car. Judge Codd accepted evidence that Harris owed money to other sinister parties and acknowledged that the father of three fully co-operated with the garda investigation and expressed remorse and shame for his involvement in the offence. She said that Harris's gambling addiction was the root cause of the offending but that it did not justify the lengths he went to in order to support that habit. Harris was sentenced to 10 years in prison with the final two years suspended.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Addict sold cocaine to repay gambling debt to 'sinister parties', court hears. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 8, 2024 Incident
- July 2023 Incident
- November 2024 Incident
- 2026-02-23 Publication
Why: Judge Codd accepted that Harris's gambling addiction was the root cause of the offending but she said that "in no way justifies the lengths he went to in order to support that habit". CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Outcome: John Byrne SC, defending, said it was "regrettable" that this offence was carried out following his client's release from prison while he was still serving the suspended portion of the sentence imposed in 2023. Today, Harris was sentenced to 10 years in prison with the final two years suspended.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Hamptonwood Drive
Topics
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