Man jailed for seven years after being caught with over €500,000 worth of drugs and money laundering

By Jessica Magee

A man has been jailed for seven years after he was found with over half a million euro worth of drugs and over £40,000 sterling in laundered money in Dublin last summer.

Roy Reilly (53) of Sherrard Court, Dublin 1, was stopped by gardaí driving a car which had been modified to contain a hidden compartment in the back seat for the carriage of drugs.

Gardaí also searched an apartment in Dublin 8 which they described as a “small drugs factory” where they seized heroin, cannabis and cocaine valued at €560,166.

Giving evidence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, a member of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau said they were given confidential information about the car which was registered in Reilly’s name.

Garda David Moran said the Opal Insignia had an “elaborate and sophisticated concealment” in the rear seat, operated by an electronic switch beside the ignition.

Reilly pleaded guilty to possessing £42,960 as the proceeds of crime in the car at St John’s Road West, Dublin 8, on July 27 last.

He further admitted possessing heroin, cocaine and cannabis for sale or supply at an apartment on Reuben Square, Reuben Street, Dublin 8 on the same day.

Garda Moran told Aideen Collard BL, prosecuting, that along with the sterling cash, gardaí found 19g of cocaine in the car worth an estimated €1,340.

During the subsequent search of the Dublin 8 apartment, gardaí found 2 kg of heroin valued at €298,536 and 11 kg of cannabis worth €221,086.

Around 560g of cocaine with a street value of €40,544 was also discovered at the property.

Gardaí also found a large hydraulic press used to mix drugs, a blender, a large amount of bagging material, scales and ten mobile phones.

1.3 kg of benzocaine, a mixing agent for cocaine, was also seized, along with 2kg of caffeine and paracetamol which are used for mixing heroin.

The court heard that assorted documentation for Reilly was found in the apartment, including his driving licence, his passport and a vehicle registration certificate for the modified car.

Reilly was arrested and interviewed seven times but made no admissions, although he otherwise cooperated with gardaí.

Gda Moran described Reilly as at “the middle tier of operations” and said he had been given the use of the apartment, the car and the phone.

“I don’t believe he was in charge; he was not at the top nor at the bottom of the ladder. He had a role to play; he had responsibility,” said Gda Moran.

Passing sentence today, Judge Orla Crowe said that although Reilly didn’t have any trappings of wealth, he had certainly been “heavily involved”.

“He was a trusted, active participant in a very big enterprise; he had a lot of responsibility,” said the judge.

Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of nine years and said Reilly had a high level of culpability.

“He was clearly in a trusted position to drive around in a specially adapted car in his name, and he was in charge of operations at the drug factory,” she said.

“He became involved with drugs at an age where he really ought to have known better,” she added, but noted that Reilly had pleaded early and had been using his time in custody very well.

Reilly has 19 previous convictions, including four for possession of heroin.

Gda Moran agreed with Garret Baker SC, defending, that the drugs did not belong to Reilly and that he was holding and transporting them for others.

Mr Baker said that Reilly had a decent work history, primarily as a van driver for the construction industry, up until 2017 when his marriage broke down.

The court heard that Reilly turned to drugs in the upheaval of his marriage breakdown and his life took a downward spiral.

Until 2017, his previous convictions were all for minor road traffic offences, the court heard.

Reilly was temporarily homeless and sometimes stayed in a tent on the Royal Canal or in the Accident and Emergency Department at St James’ Hospital when the weather was bad, counsel said.

Reilly wrote a letter to court apologising for the offence.

A governor’s report said Reilly was on an enhanced prisoner regime and was doing well in custody where he had completed a number of courses including drug overdose prevention.

Reilly’s sentence was backdated to July 26 last, when he was taken into custody.