Courts / Dublin / Report

Former taxi driver caught with €600k in drugs and stolen art

Date
2016-06-10

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

Jonathan Rafferty, 38, was jailed for seven and a half years after a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing. He pleaded guilty to a series of offences: robbery of a security cash box containing €19,000 in October 2013, possession of an imitation firearm, possession of cannabis resin and herb, and stolen artwork in October 2013; robbery of a second cash box containing €230 in March 2014 with an imitation firearm; burglary at Sunrise Dry Cleaner in February 2015, along with dangerous driving and criminal damage to a car. The court noted he had been using cocaine daily and was under a €6,000 drug debt at the time of the offences. Judge Patricia Ryan imposed consecutive sentences totalling eleven years, suspending three and a half years, for a net effective custodial term of seven and a half years. Rafferty had 12 prior convictions and had written a letter of apology to the court.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Former taxi driver caught with €600k in drugs and stolen art. Charges or matters: robbery of a security cash box containing €19,000 and possession of an imitation firearm at Cookstown Road, Tallaght on October 21, 2013; possession of cannabis resin and cannabis herb and of stolen artwork at Hazel Grove Court, Tallaght on October 26, 2013; burglary at Sunrise Dry Cleaner, City West Business Park on February 10, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

October 21, 2013 Incident
October 26, 2013 Incident
March 21, 2014 Incident
February 10, 2015 Incident
October 2013 Incident
February 2015 Incident
2016-06-10 Publication

Why: He told gardai he would not say who else was involved because he was in fear for his life. CNI source report

Case subjects

Jonathan Rafferty

Defendant

Charges: robbery of a security cash box containing €19,000 and possession of an imitation firearm at Cookstown Road, Tallaght on October 21, 2013; possession of cannabis resin and cannabis herb and of stolen artwork at Hazel Grove Court, Tallaght on October 26, 2013; burglary at Sunrise Dry Cleaner, City West Business Park on February 10, 2015 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Ryan imposed consecutive sentences totalling eleven years and suspended three and a half years of the total term.