Gerard Cleary pleads guilty to cocaine possession in Lucan

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Gerard Cleary pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply. The offence took place outside his home at Shon Valley Apartments, The Grange, Lucan, Co Dublin, on 8 August 2017.

At a sentence hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 19 October 2017, the court heard that Cleary had agreed to hold the drugs under pressure from a third party to repay a debt from his own cocaine use. The proceedings were reported on 19 October 2017.

Detective Garda Patrick Carey said he saw Cleary direct two cars into the apartment complex’s car park and move a bag from one of them into the boot of a parked Volkswagen Golf. When gardaí approached, Cleary immediately cooperated and handed over the Golf’s keys. Two packages recovered from the car contained 1,976 grammes of cocaine with a street value of €138,837.

The court heard that Cleary had possessed the drugs for only minutes before gardaí intercepted him and that he made full admissions. Cleary said he had been asked to hold the package for no more than a day to repay a €9,000 cocaine debt. He said an offer to repay the debt in weekly instalments had been refused.

Defence counsel Caroline Biggs SC described Cleary’s upbringing in a home affected by addiction and violence. The court heard that his mother had sent him to buy heroin three times a week when he was aged 10 or 11. Judge Karen O’Connor remanded Cleary on continuing bail to be sentenced on 16 November 2017.