A round-up of today's other court stories in brief
Jail for courier caught with €½m cocaine
A young man who was caught transporting almost €500,000 in cocaine has been given a 12-year sentence by Judge Desmond Hogan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.Gerard Beirne, who has 20 previous convictions, told gardaí he agreed to courier the drugs after he fell into debt with a criminal figure.
Beirne (22), The Vale, Woodfarm, Palmerstown, pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs on June 22nd, 2009 The judge suspended the final four years of the sentence.
Jailed father (23) did not 'learn his lesson'
A Dublin man has been jailed for eight years for possessing €137,000 of heroin and cocaine.
Judge Martin Nolan said Karl Clifford (23) did not “learn his lesson from the previous two encounters he has had with the law” for drugs offences. He said the eight-year sentence was the best he could do.
Clifford, a father of one, Cherry Orchard Avenue, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing heroin and cocaine in a sports bag in his bedroom on April 7th, 2009. Clifford has 19 previous convictions.
Man laundered Northern Bank proceeds
A Cork man has been brought before the Special Criminal Court charged with money- laundering in connection with the 2004 Northern Bank robbery.
George Hegarty (63), Donnybrook Cottages, Douglas, pleaded guilty to money- laundering in February 2005, knowing or believing that the £66,000 represented the proceeds of a robbery at the Northern Bank, Belfast.
Hegarty was remanded on bail until June 8th, when he is due to be sentenced.
Seven remanded after Limerick arrests
Seven men arrested as part of a major Garda operation in Limerick have been further remanded in custody for two weeks.
The men appeared yesterday in Limerick District Court on a variety of charges including violent disorder, threatening to kill or cause serious harm and demanding money with menaces.
There was no application for bail but the State indicated it would be objecting to the men being released on bail.
Judge Tom O’Donnell remanded all the accused in custody to appear in court via video link on May 12th next.