Courts / Dublin / Report
Dubliner caught with €700k worth of cocaine is jailed
Summary
A Dublin man, Francis Fitzpatrick (37), of Kilmartin Avenue, Tallaght Dublin, was sentenced to five and a half years in custody at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following his guilty plea to possession of 11 kilograms of cocaine on the Tallaght by-pass on November 27, 2015. The drugs, with a street value of €770,539, were discovered during a Garda search of his blue BMW after he was stopped at the junction of Killinarden Heights. Fitzpatrick admitted to picking up the drugs to pay off a drug debt and stated he had been using cocaine for ten years. He also admitted to selling drugs to fund his habit. During the proceedings, it was noted that Fitzpatrick had one minor previous conviction and had taken steps towards rehabilitation, including being drug-free and assisting his mother in caring for his ill father. The court heard that Fitzpatrick had been cooperative with the Garda and expressed regret for his actions. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged the seriousness of the case but departed from the presumptive mandatory ten-year sentence. The matter was finalised at the sentence stage with no adjournments.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Dubliner caught with €700k worth of cocaine is jailed. Charges or matters: possession of the drugs on the Tallaght by-pass on November 27, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 27, 2015 Incident
- 2016-07-28 Publication
Why: He told gardai he had picked it up earlier in order to pay off a drug debt of eight to ten thousand euro. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of the drugs on the Tallaght by-pass on November 27, 2015 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Defendant
Charges: possession of the drugs on the Tallaght by-pass on November 27, 2015 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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