A former professional boxer and personal trainer was arrested in possession of £300,000 worth of heroin by gardai who spent two weeks under cover waiting for the drug to be collected, Trim Circuit Court heard.
James Talbot (30), of Foxborough Court, Lucan, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of the drug and possession with intent to supply at Loughsallagh, Clonee, Co Meath, on March 1st last year.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of 4kg of cannabis resin and possession of the drug with intent to supply at Foxborough Lane, Lucan, on February 28th last. He told the court he had been working as a cannabis dealer for around two years and had been asked by another man to go to Clonee to collect cannabis.
The court heard that gardai had searched an area adjacent to a slip road near Clonee on February 14th following a tip-off and discovered what they believed to be four packets of heroin in a yellow container hidden behind a water tank. Shortly after midnight two weeks later they arrested the defendant after he had collected the container and was making his way back to his car.
After being arrested he had said: "It is only three kilos of hash. I am only the gofer. I'm collecting it for a bloke called Martin from Kildare." When gardai told him it was 3kg of heroin he was stunned. He told gardai that 16 bars of cannabis they subsequently recovered in a friend's house had belonged to him, as had £14,310 cash also recovered in the house.
On February 28th he had collected 10kg of hash which he then sold to another man. The second man gave him cash for the drugs and asked him to hold onto 4kg of the drug.
Talbot had then been paged by someone to pick up 3kg of hash and bring it to a certain place. He did not know it was heroin. He told gardai he moved hash from one place to another for a fixed amount.
Mr Denis Vaughan Buckley, defending, said Talbot was married with two young children and had once been a professional boxer for a couple of years but had to retire through injury.
He had studied law but failed his criminal law exams. He was aware he would get a custodial sentence and intended to study in jail.
Judge Patrick McCartain said another jurisdiction had recently dealt with a boxer, and the legislature provided for life imprisonment for drugs offences. People like Talbot played an essential part in the drugs industry, and he rejected the idea that Talbot did not know it was heroin. He had been a ready and willing participant and was a major and crucial player.
He imposed three years for possession of the heroin and seven for possession with intent to supply and three years for possession of the cannabis with five for possession with intent to supply. All sentences are to run concurrently.