A transport company manager who imported massive amounts of cannabis resin for another man has been jailed for three years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. John Dunne (42), married and the father of three, of Midleton, Co Cork, made a profit of about £600 for each consignment.
Gardai said that the man for whom he was working - Mr John Gilligan - made an estimated £100,000 profit on each 250 kg shipment, Judge Kieran O'Connor was told. Mr Gilligan was arrested in Britain in 1996 and faces extradition to the Republic on charges in relation to firearms, drug-trafficking and the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin.
In court yesterday Det Sgt Noel Browne said Mr Gilligan paid £1,000 for each consignment to Dunne, who then had to pay group age fees of £300£400 each time. Gardai had uncovered a sophisticated drugs operation in the course of the Guerin murder investigation.
Dunne pleaded guilty to 10 charges of unlawfully importing cannabis resin on dates in each month of January to October 1996. He had no previous convictions.
Det Sgt Browne said Mr Gilligan organised the shipments from the Netherlands via Cork Port in conjunction with Dutch criminals. He bought the cannabis for £1,600 a kilo and sold it to his "leading managers" for £2,000 a kilo. Each shipment contained about 250 kg. Dunne's job was to collect these packages and drive them to Dublin to what gardai called "the Greenmount gang". Det Sgt Browne said the cannabis was collected at a Dublin hotel by Charles Bowden and Paul Ward.
Dunne was the manager of the Cork branch of a reputable transport company and had been targeted by Mr Gilligan for his role in this operation. At first he was unaware the packages contained drugs. Det Sgt Browne told Judge O'Connor that Dunne had gone without any legal compulsion to London some months ago and gave evidence in the British Customs and Excise case against Mr Gilligan. He had co-operated fully with gardai. There had been "some very sinister developments" since a recent trial and gardai had to mount a 24-hour armed guard on Dunne and his family, which caused him great distress.
Judge O'Connor said Dunne had got mixed up in a "reprehensible, vile trade" for motives of greed to such an extent he could not turn back.
The court was left in an awkward position, as it had a duty both to the people of Ireland and to Dunne that he have some degree of safety attached to him.