A taxi driver who carried cocaine valued at over €250,000 in his car for “a few hundred euro” to help pay off his loans has been jailed for nine years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Edmund Breslin (42), a father of two, agreed to carry the drugs after running into financial difficulties and not disclosing the extent of his problems to his family.
Breslin, of Kevin Barry House, Church Street, pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at the junction of George's Hill and North King Street on June 19th, 2007. Gardai, acting on a tip-off, searched his taxi and found the cocaine in a shopping bag in the foot well of the car.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said that Breslin was not a naive young addict who had been forced, due to his addiction, to get involved in the drugs trade.
"You willingly got involved for financial gain and by transporting the drugs you placed yourself between the drug barons and the gardaí," Judge Delahunt said. She added that she was satisfied that Breslin had "a very significant involvement" in this crime.
Padraig Dwyer SC, for Breslin, said his client had run up debts to financial institutions and his partner was unaware of the extent of the loans. He said Breslin, who has problems with alcohol abuse, had carried the drugs for a few hundred euro of foot of a phone call.