Elderly Canadian man found with €80,000 cocaine in Dublin

By Claire Henry

A Canadian man who was found with over €80,000 worth of drugs has been given an eight-month sentence.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Edward Bystrom (75), with an address in British Columbia, Canada, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs on Temple Street, Dublin, on September 3, 2023. He has no previous conviction in Ireland or in any other jurisdiction.

Passing sentence today, Judge Martin Nolan said, “As cases go, this is a pretty bizarre case”.

Judge Nolan said this man had been in North and South America and then ended up in Ireland.

He said, “This man was in Dublin with no place to stay, and it is not known where he was going and if Ireland was his last stop”.

The judge said Bystrom has pleaded guilty, has no previous convictions, and is unlikely to re-offend or appear in this jurisdiction again.

Judge Nolan sentenced him to two years in prison and suspended 18 months of that sentence.

He backdated this to when Bystrom went into custody.

He also ordered that Bystrom leave the country within one week of his release from custody and must not return to this jurisdiction for ten years.

Detective Garda Rob Doorley told Laura Cunningham BL, prosecuting, that gardai were on patrol on Temple Street in the early hours of September 3, 2023 and were told that an elderly man was leaning up against a barrier and seemed to be in difficulty.

Gardai went to the man and had concerns for his mental health.

Det Gda Doorley said Bystrom had a laptop bag and a small gear bag with him.

He was brought  to Mountjoy Garda Station and his laptop bag was searched. Two black packages were found, both containing white powder.

The powder tested positive for cocaine with a value of just over €80,000.

The court heard that a doctor attended the garda station, and Bystrom was later interviewed.

He told gardai that he had been asked by agents of the United Nations to collect money.

He also said that he had travelled from his home in Canada to New York and onto Brazil, Sao Paulo, and Rio De Janeiro before going back to the USA and on to Ireland.

Det Gda Doorley said, “We presume that Bystrom was going to meet someone in Ireland with these drugs, but we can’t know if Ireland was his final destination”.

He also said that Bystrom had not benefitted financially from carrying these drugs.

Det Gda Doorley agreed with John Fitzgerald, SC, defending that his client had been the victim of romance fraud in the past and that he was a vulnerable person who was taken advantage of.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client wants to put this behind him and return to Canada.

Counsel said his client did not know what was involved and was surprised as to what he had gotten himself involved in