Ibrahim Lawel resentenced over €1.4m cocaine parcel

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

Ibrahim Lawel was resentenced to six years in prison, with the final 18 months suspended, after the Court of Appeal allowed his sentence appeal on 9 October 2017. The suspension required him to enter a €200 bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for three years.

Lawel pleaded guilty at Naas Circuit Criminal Court on 6 October 2015 to a section 15A offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. On 14 March 2016, he was sentenced to 10 years, with the final three years suspended on the same conditions.

Delivering the appeal judgment, Mr Justice Hedigan said the original discount for mitigating factors was inadequate. The court quashed the sentence and credited Lawel for almost nine months spent on remand between 26 October 2011 and 19 July 2012.

On 25 May 2011, Lawel accepted a controlled delivery at his County Kildare home of a parcel containing cocaine worth €1.4 million. It was addressed to a fictional South African consul, Tony Tutu, and Lawel signed for it using that name.

Lawel said he had signed for the parcel as a favour and did not know it contained cocaine. He accepted that he did not ask what was in it because he did not want to know, and pleaded guilty on the basis that he had been reckless. The prosecuting Garda accepted that he did not know the contents, although he knew he was receiving an illegal package.

The judgment said Lawel had no role in setting up the operation or distributing the drugs, had no ownership of them and was to receive no share of the profits. The prosecuting Garda also accepted that there was an imbalance of power between Lawel and the man involved.

The Circuit Court had discharged Lawel from the indictment on 19 July 2012 following a challenge concerning the parcel's interception. The Court of Criminal Appeal later reversed that decision and the charges were reinstated.