A MAN who had €280,000 worth of cocaine has been given a seven-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Simon Jones (41), Berry Close, Finglas, Dublin, described as “a man of low intelligence”, was “pressing” the drugs in a back room in return for the repayment of a debt he owed to dealers.
Judge Katherine Delahunt said there appeared to be all the ingredients of a “cocaine-mixing factory” at the house, but noted Jones was “close to the bottom of the ladder”.
She imposed a seven-year sentence, with the final three years suspended on strict conditions.
Det Garda Donal Tully told prosecuting counsel Caroline Cummings that on May 18th, 2006, he was observing a bungalow in Swords, Co Dublin, as part of an investigation into cocaine dealing.
At 10am, Jones entered and closed the gate and blinds of the house. After getting a search warrant, gardaí entered the house an hour later.
There they saw Jones in a back room wearing white gloves and surrounded by bags of cocaine, a 30-tonne compressor, weighing scales and a basin.
He ran out of the room but was immediately arrested. He claimed he was “just here to mix the stuff” and later explained it had already been mixed and it was his job to press it. Gardaí found 4kg of cocaine in the room and stashed in drawers in the kitchen.
Jones was interviewed three times and told gardaí he was told to process the drugs by a man called Jimbo in return for part-payment of a large debt. He had no involvement in the selling of the drugs and was not making any money from it.
Det Garda Tully said Jones had seven previous convictions for traffic offences.
He agreed with defence counsel Giollaiosa Ó Lideadha that Jones was a man of “low intelligence” who had been caught “white handed” with the cocaine.
Mr Ó Lideadha said his client had three children and had previously worked in the building trade but was now unemployed.