Jailed over €2.8 million drugs haul

By Claire Henry  and Eimear Dodd

A Dublin man has been handed a prison sentence for holding a “significant” amount of cocaine with a value of €2.8 million in his home.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Christopher Gaynor (39) of Woodavens, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cocaine for sale or supply on August 21, 2022, at Collinstown Grove, Clondalkin.

He has no previous convictions.

Passing sentence last Friday, Judge Orla Crowe said, “Drugs blight society in every conceivable way”.

She said the aggravating features of this case include the high value of the cocaine found in Gaynor’s family home and the “harm” caused by drugs to society.

She noted that gardai had observed suspicious activity, which Gaynor was “actively involved” in, and there was “trust” in him due to the amount of drugs and cash found.

Judge Crowe handed Gaynor an eight-year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended for three years.

Detective Garda John McWeaney told the prosecuting counsel that on August 19, 2022, gardai received information from a member of the public who can concerns about possible drug dealing at a property in Collinstown Grove.

Gardai monitored the area and observed two known cocaine users and two possible drug transactions taking place.

A warrant was obtained, and the house in question was searched on August 21, 2021.

Gaynor was present in the house when gardai arrived.

They asked him if there were “any drugs here?” and he replied, “Yeah,” and confirmed there were a lot of drugs upstairs.

Gardai seized Gaynor’s phone and took photographs of two large drums and blocks, which were stacked and wrapped in green plastic.

40kg of cocaine with a value of €2.8 million was found in the attic of the house.

€21,100 of cash, which was vacuum-packed, was also recovered during the search.

Gaynor was cautioned at the scene and told gardai, “They are what they are”.

Following his arrest, Gaynor was taken to Lucan Garda Station.

En route, gardai observed that Gaynor was distressed and upset and said he had been “backed into a corner” as he owed €70,000 in loans.

The court heard that Gaynor built up a large debt due to a gambling addiction.

This debt had been passed to others.

He told gardai he would receive €5,000 in debt reduction once all the drugs were gone.

He said he initially received 50kg of drugs and had already given out 10kg.

Det Gda McWeaney said that there were no trappings of wealth in the home and that Gaynor had not come to garda attention before or since this incident.

He said he also believed that Gaynor was in fear for his life and for his family.

Gaynor lost a job with Dublin Bus over ten years ago but has had other employment since then.

Det Gda McWeaney agreed with defence counsel that Gaynor made admissions and cooperated with gardai.

He also accepted that Gaynor said he had been involved in the drugs trade for a while but was not making any profit.

It was also accepted that Gaynor was holding the money, which didn’t belong to him.

Defence counsel told the court that his client is “acutely aware of the difficulties drugs cause in the community”.

He said Gaynor has depression and anxiety. His client is a father of three children.

A probation report was handed to the court along with 30 pages of testimonials and a letter of apology from Gaynor.

Judge Orla Crowe noted that the court was dealing with a “significant quantity of drugs” with a high value.

She said the court had to take into consideration the “grave social harm” caused by drugs and their “adverse impact on society”.

Judge Crowe commended the gardai for their “exemplary work” in this case, which had “benefitted society” and “yielded a significant drugs haul”.

She noted the mitigation includes Gaynor’s early guilty plea, his admission and lack of previous convictions.

Judge Crowe said Gaynor appears to be under financial pressure due to gambling addiction.

She said the court accepts Gaynor had no propriety interest in the drugs and set a headline sentence of 12 years due to the “gravity of the offending”.

Judge Crowe said that Gaynor’s guilty plea and his specific circumstances allowed the court to depart from the mandatory minimum sentence of ten years.

She backdated the eight-year sentence with 12 months suspended to June 26 and directed Gaynor to place himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for 18 months post-release.