A man who imported the largest amount of heroin seized in the State for a major Dublin drugs gang has been jailed for six years by Judge Michael White.
Gary Blake (31), Copster Place, Oldham, Manchester, had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to importing £5 million of heroin into Dun Laoghaire port on October 31st, 1998.
A co-accused, Robert Russell (33), of Glenhurst Crescent, Oldham, was jailed for six years by Judge Elizabeth Dunne on March 12th last for importing the 18.5 kg of heroin. His sentence is to be reviewed in October 2001. Earlier, the court was told the gang leaders were based in Manchester at the time and paid their couriers, Blake and Russell, £2,500 for each cache they carried to their Dublin counterparts.
Det Sgt Greg Sheehan had told Mr Fergal Foley, prosecuting, that Blake and Russell hid the heroin in two hired Ford Mondeo cars and then persuaded their girl friends to act as "camouflage" on their ferry trip to Dun Laoghaire. Det Sgt Sheehan said the women had been aware something was going on but did not understand the scale of the operation. Both men had become involved in importing heroin after getting into financial difficulties with a business they had started in Manchester. Gardai had arrested them at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, and recovered 18.5 kgs of heroin with a street value of £5 million. The heroin had been concealed in the rear-door panels of both cars.
A total of 20 packets of heroin had been found in one car and 18 in the other. The two women, Joanna Schofield (30), of Glenhurst Crescent, Oldham, and Sheryl Hume (20), of Copster Place, Oldham, have admitted their role in the crime and have been remanded on continuing bail for sentence on October 20th next. Russell and Blake had made nine or 10 previous trips on behalf of the Manchester-based west Dublin gang since February 1998. They had both been offered a fee of £2,500 and £500 expenses for each trip.
The court was told police in Manchester had since arrested a number of the gang leaders and had seized a huge quantity of heroin and cocaine. In sentencing Blake yesterday, Judge White said he should not depart radically from the sentence given to Blake's co-accused, Russell, and jailed him without a review date for six years to date from October 31st, 1998.
A report had shown Blake had regularly attended the educational facilities at Mountjoy prison and the court was taking into consideration Blake's plea of guilty.