A 24-year-old man has been jailed for four years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of cocaine worth an estimated €125,000.
Kevin Dempsey, of Clonshaugh Avenue, Coolock, pleaded guilty to possession of the drug for the purposes of sale or supply and to possession of a firearm on November 28th, 2003.
Garda John Cannon, of Santry Garda station, told the court that Dempsey was stopped at a routine checkpoint and had been asked what was in a Superquinn bag he had in his car. He had emptied the contents of the bag, which was found to contain cocaine.
Garda Cannon told Judge Desmond Hogan that on arrest Dempsey handed gardaí the key to his mother's home to search it, saying that they would find a quantity of drugs and a firearm.
Gardaí found the drugs during the search and found the firearm wrapped in a plastic bag in the front garden of the house. But forensic examination proved that the firearm did not carry Dempsey's fingerprints, nor had the bag ever been opened.
Garda Cannon said that the drugs which were recovered had an estimated street value of €125,000.
It was accepted that Dempsey was "a small cog in a very large and a very serious operation" and that he had been manipulated and pressured by others to get involved in this offence.
It was further accepted that Dempsey co-operated with the gardaí at all times and voluntarily gave information which assisted them in their investigations.
Judge Hogan said that Dempsey had committed a serious offence, but he took into consideration his co-operation with gardaí and his early guilty plea.
The judge accepted that Dempsey had had a troubled life, although he came from a respectable family. He sentenced him to five years in prison but suspended the last 12 months.