Man who is serving six year jail term is given further time for leading Gardaí on high speed chase

By Eimear Dodd

A man who is serving a six year jail term for possessing €1.5 million worth of cocaine has been given further jail terms for possessing heroin, a firearm and leading gardaí on a high speed chase.

Sean Connell (32) of Baile Na Laochra, Poppintree, Dublin 11, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of diamorphine for sale or supply on March 10, 2020.

Connell is currently serving a six year sentence in relation to the seizure of €1.5 million of cocaine at Rosslare Harbour, the day before – on March 9, 2020.

Connell’s car was searched by gardaí at a later date and nearly €70,000 worth of heroin was discovered.

He was on bail for these matters in September 2020 when he and another man led gardaí on a high speed chase after shots were fired at a house in Finglas.

The pursuit ended when the car overturned and Connell, the driver, was taken to hospital. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possession of a firearm on September 29, 2020.

Sentencing Connell at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Orla Crowe said Connell was engaged in a separate drug transaction in relation to the heroin which was found in his car.

She accepted he was working to pay off a drug debt.

In relation to the firearm and dangerous driving offences, the judge accepted that Connell did not fire the shots and that he went along with his co-accused “under duress”.

For the drug offences, she handed Connell a seven and a half year sentence with the final six months suspended. She backdated it to when he went into custody in 2020.

In relation to the other offence, she sentenced Connell to 18 months’ imprisonment, with the final six months suspended.

She made this sentence consecutive to the Wexford drugs matter.

The judge disqualified him from driving for two years.

Garda Adam Galvin told Jennifer Jackson BL, prosecuting, that gardai conducted a search of Connell’s home on March 9, 2020 in the wake of the drugs seizure at Rosslare Harbour. Co. Wexford on the same date.

Nothing was found at his home and gardai seized a vehicle outside the house, which was taken for examination.

The vehicle was opened by a locksmith on March 10, 2020 and a white Converse bag, containing two packages, was discovered in the boot.

The first package contained 498g of diamorphine with a value of €69,720 and the other contained a non-controlled drug. A weighing scales was also found in the boot.

When interviewed, Connell admitted that the bag had been placed in the car boot by a third party, whom he didn’t name. Connell said he owed a drugs debt of €10,000.

Gda Galvin agreed with Oisin Clarke BL, defending, that a backlog at Forensic Science Ireland and the Covid-19 pandemic had delayed this case coming to court.

Gda Galvin also accepted that Connell was not the registered owner of the car. It is believed that the car belonged to another person, who is known to gardai, but has left the jurisdiction.

Gda Galvin agreed with Mr Clarke that his client had run up debt with “dangerous people” and was not on garda radar at that time.

Garda Alan Murphy told Ms Jackson that he was on mobile patrol on September 29, 2020 in the Cappagh Road area, when he heard two gunshots, followed by the sound of tyres screeching.

A car with two males stopped at the entrance of an estate, then took off at high speed after spotting garda.

A chase ensued during which the car did not stop at a red light at the junction of Cappagh Road and Rathoath Road.

During the chase, the car also crossed the middle line and did not indicate when turning.

On Dunsink Lane, it drifted towards the centre of the road, narrowly missing an unmarked garda patrol car.

The car joined the M50 Southbound, which was down to one lane of traffic, then veered into the closed lane.

At junction 7, the car took the turn towards Chapelizod at the last second. The chase ended when the car turned upside down.

Connell and a passenger were still in their seatbelts upside down when gardai arrived. Connell was arrested and taken to hospital.

Gardai carried out a search of a house in the estate and found the glass in the back door had been smashed.

Two shells were found on the ground and bullet holes identified in an internal door. No one was in the property at the time.

No firearm was found when gardai searched the car.

During a search of the route taken by the car, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol containing one round of ammunition, considered to be in usable condition, was recovered.

Gda Murphy agreed with Mr Clarke that a row at the house earlier in the day led to this incident and Connell was not involved.

The investigating gardai accepted that no gunshot residue was found on Connell.

He also agreed that Connell had been taken from his house by another person at 1am in the morning and the accused feared he would not return.

Mr Clark said his client had been told to transport the drugs seized in Wexford to Dublin, then deliver both sets of drugs to a third party.

He said his client was in fear of another person, who was higher up the rungs of the ladder.

His client had held positions in technology companies but found himself in this situation due to a drugs debt. Carroll had used cannabis and LSD recreationally in college, then got clean.

Some years later, he started taking drugs on a more frequent basis.

His relationship with his wife broke down and his drug use escalated, during which he got into serious financial difficulties as he was not working.

Mr Clarke said his client acted under instruction from another person.

A number of references and reports were handed to the court on Carroll’s behalf. A letter of apology was also handed to the court. Connell also has a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome.

Carroll is an enhanced prisoner and is considered to be at low risk of re-offending.

He has reconciled with his wife and the couple have three young children. Family members were in court to support him.