Patrick Purcell jailed for €1m ketamine possession

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

Patrick Purcell was sentenced to nine years, with the final two years suspended, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. The proceedings were reported on 4 December 2016.

He pleaded guilty to possession of 18kg of ketamine worth €1,080,000 and 212 grammes of cocaine for sale or supply at premises he rented in Straffan, Kildare. He also pleaded guilty to possession of 2.2kg of ketamine, worth an estimated €103,123, at Maiden’s Row, Chapelizod. Both offences occurred on 4 June 2015.

Judge Melanie Greally said testimonials from reputable people who spoke well of Purcell had been submitted. She accepted that he had expressed genuine regret for the impact of his crime on his family and the wider community and had co-operated with the garda investigation.

A later Judicial Council listing records that the Court of Appeal dismissed Purcell’s appeal against the severity of his sentence on 26 April 2018. Hedigan J. gave the judgment, with Birmingham J. and Mahon J. also on the panel. The judgment is listed as [2018] IECA 116, record number 319/2016.