Courts / Louth / Report

Lorry driver who imported €1m in cannabis jailed for five years

Summary

A 32-year-old lorry driver has been jailed for five years for importing over €1 million worth of cannabis through Dublin Port. Andrew Cooley, from Ballyoran, Dundalk, pleaded guilty to importing more than 50 kilos of cannabis at Dublin Port on June 7, 2025. Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a seven-year sentence with the final 24 months suspended on strict conditions. During the incident, Cooley was driving an articulated lorry and refrigerated trailer when he was stopped at the port. He initially denied having anything to declare, claiming he was carrying Amazon goods. However, an inspector detected the smell of cannabis and found 31 packages hidden under clothing, with a street value of €1,007,000. Cooley claimed he did not know the value of the drugs and estimated it was worth "10 grand." The court heard that Cooley had eight previous convictions, mainly for road traffic matters, and had been disqualified from driving twice.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Lorry driver who imported €1m in cannabis jailed for five years. Charges or matters: importing more than 50 kilos of cannabis at Dublin Port on June 7, 2025. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• June 7, 2025 Incident
• 2026-07-28 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Road Traffic Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report