€2.3 million worth of cannabis in frozen chicken

By Jessica Magee

Two Englishmen caught unloading over €2.3 million euro worth of cannabis concealed under a consignment of frozen chicken will be sentenced later at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Daniel Bowker (40) of Empire Rd, Bolton, United Kingdom and Ibrar Sharif (47), also with an address in Bolton, were arrested in Dublin three days before Christmas last year.

They told gardaí they had been trying to gather some money to buy presents for their families.

Both men came forward on signed pleas from the District Court of possessing €2.364 million worth of cannabis for sale or supply at Kilmainham, Dublin 8 on 22 December last.

They have been in custody in Cloverhill Prison since their arrest.

Detective Garda Patrick Hearne told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that a surveillance operation was put in place after gardaí got confidential information about an expected delivery of pallets of illegal drugs.

At 9am on the day in question, gardaí observed a white Ford Transit van driven by Bowker arriving at a unit in the Chapelizod Industrial Estate.

Both accused got out and about an hour later, they interacted with the driver of a transport truck that arrived.

Bowker was seen driving the van closer to the shutters of the unit, before the van left in convoy with another car.

The van was driven to a house in the Kilmainham area where Sharif directed it into a driveway and both men began to unload cardboard boxes from the van into the house.

The van was driven off and then stopped by gardaí, whereupon two men tried to flee before they were arrested.

Gardaí got a search warrant for the house in Kilmainham and seized 12 cardboard boxes containing a total of 119 kilos of vacuum-packed cannabis.

Bowker admitted putting boxes into the van and driving them to the Kilmainham address but initially told gardaí he didn’t know what was in the boxes.

During subsequent interviews he admitted that there were bags of cannabis underneath frozen chicken and that himself and Sharif had taken the drugs out and put them into new boxes.

Bowker has five previous convictions from the UK, for minor offences including criminal damage.

Det Gda Hearne agreed with counsel for the defence that both Bowker and Sharif had been cooperative with gardaí and that both had long-standing alcohol problems.

The garda also agreed that both accused were at the lower end of the ladder of the organised crime gang and had been used by those higher up to courier drugs.

It was also agreed that neither man displayed any signs of wealth or a lavish lifestyle, nor did they stand to benefit materially from the crime.

Oisín Clarke SC, defending Bowker, said his client was suffering from severe anxiety, depression and PTSD after he was assaulted in January 2022 by three men who broke into his house to try and steal a dog.

The court heard Bowker suffered a facial fracture and had to get two plates inserted into his jaw in the attack.

Bowker told gardaí he was a heavy drinker, on medication for anxiety and depression and had wanted to make some “quick money” to buy Christmas presents for his three kids.

Bowker wrote a letter of explanation and remorse and said he had been “very naive”.

Letters were also presented from Bowker’s former wife describing him as a caring, sensitive person when sober.

Another letter from Bowker’s housing manager describes him as “a lovable man and a model tenant” with “a big heart but a tortured soul”.

Maurice Coffey SC, defending Sharif, said his client had similarly found himself vulnerable, broke and with a drinking problem coming up to last Christmas.

Mr Coffey said Sharif began working at the age of nine in markets and later worked in restaurants, factories and Marks and Spencer’s until he was made redundant during Covid.

“He had no money; he was unemployed, he foolishly agreed to get involved and let his moral compass shift,” said counsel.

Both defence counsel said that organised crime gangs often prey on people who have dependency problems and no money, cajoling them to do their dirty work and suffer the punishment while those at the top are protected from the rigours of the law.

A letter from Sharif spoke of his remorse, regret and hopes for the future.

Letters were also presented from his sisters describing his good heart and hardworking ethos.

Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case for finalisation on October 9 and ordered an education report and a prison governor’s report to be prepared.