A man caught with cannabis resin valued at €12 million has been jailed for 14 years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court by Judge Desmond Hogan who described him as "a transporter of misery".
Patrick Long (44), of Saddler's Well, Tipperary and Coliemore Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to having almost one ton of the drug on May 29th, 2003 for sale or supply.
Det Sgt Greg Sheehan said he and his colleague Det Garda Pat Kirwan found the drugs on two pallets on Long's lorry when they stopped him at Victoria Quay, Dublin. Long is to appear again on March 7th next for a hearing as to forfeiture of his assets as a result of this conviction.
Det Sgt Sheehan told Mr Fergal Foley BL, prosecuting, that Long was apprehended during a surveillance operation carried out by the Garda National Drugs Unit.
Long admitted his role in the crime and further admitted he was to be paid €40,000 for carrying the cache. He had previously been paid €20,000 for two other drugs loads.
Mr Patrick Gageby SC, defending, said his client became involved in the drugs operation because "greed got the better of him".
Mr Gageby submitted that the court was entitled to take into consideration in deciding sentence that the drug involved was cannabis and that Long had remained out of trouble for the first 42 years of his life. He had also pleaded guilty.
Judge Hogan noted that while section 15a of the Misuse of Drugs Act provided for a possible minimum mandatory 10 years sentence it also provided for a possible life sentence.
"Even though Long didn't own the lorry he knew what he had in the pallets and the amount while he might not have known the value. It is a misnomer to simply call him a drugs courier. It seems to me he was more a transporter, a transporter of misery to the unfortunates who would ultimately wind up buying the drugs." Judge Hogan refused leave to appeal severity of sentence.