Man to be jailed for carrying €33,000 of cocaine and series of burglaries

By Eimear Dodd

A man caught carrying over €33,000 of cocaine was also involved in a series of burglaries, a court has heard.

Keith McCormick (23) of La Touche Drive, Bluebell, Dublin 12 and Riverview, Church Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15 pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply on May 12, 2020.

He further pleaded to other charges including burglary, unlawful use of a vehicle, possession of stolen property, and driving without a licence or insurance on dates between September 2020 and May 2021.

McCormick, also known as McCormick-Smith has 44 previous convictions including for theft, burglary, unauthorised taking of a vehicle, criminal damage and possession of drugs.

In February, McCormick was handed a three year and two month prison sentence with the final 12 months suspended for his role in a series of offending on January 23, 2022  during which a man died.

McCormick and co-defendant Adam Murphy (23) had been carrying out a spate of  crimes, where they were robbing cars with the intention of selling them. Murphy stole Ian McDonnell’s car outside his place of work in Dublin 22, before driving off with Mr McDonnell on the bonnet.

Mr McDonnell was thrown from the bonnet of the car and onto the roadway. He died shortly afterwards.

Murphy of Cherry Orchard Crescent, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10,  pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was handed a 12-year sentence with the final two-and-a-half years suspended on strict conditions.

Imposing sentence in February, Judge Dara Hayes said McCormick  had  been “involved in a chain of events that led to the death of an innocent man”.

The court heard on Wednesday that McCormick’s earliest current release date is June 2027.

McCormick was seen by gardai cycling on Thomas Street in the early hours of May 12, 2020.

He didn’t stop when gardai tried to talk to him and took evasive action, discarding a package onto the ground.

Gardai managed to stop McCormick and the package, which contained 479g of cocaine valued at €33,568, was recovered.

He was arrested, made full admissions when interviewed and was co-operative. He told gardai that he was delivering the drugs to a particular location to repay a small drugs debt and apologised.

Garda Shane Cunningham agreed with Kathleen Leader SC, defending, that her client said he panicked when he saw gardai and apologised for his involvement.

It was further accepted he didn’t know what was in the package, but was aware it was related to criminal activity.

On September 30, 2020 a homeowner in Mount Merrion became aware that a number of people were at their car outside their property.

A male voice was heard to say “reverse it out the drive”, while another voice said “get in”.

When the homeowner went outside, the Mercedes car was still in the driveway. He noticed the car door was open and the key – which had been in the hall – was gone. Scratch marks were found on the front door lock.

Around 3am, gardai observed a group of men including McCormick in another vehicle. The key for the Mercedes car was found when this car was searched.

On December 27, 2020, two cars, one of which contained a €1,000 buggy and other items, were taken from outside a property in Templeogue.

One of the cars was later recovered and DNA samples taken from the vehicle matched McCormick’s.

The second vehicle and items, including the buggy, were not recovered.

In a victim impact statement, the injured party said this had a profound impact on their family, causing feelings of loss, violation and heightened vigilance.

The following month, a Range Rover was taken from outside a property in Leopardstown following a burglary on January 10, 2021.

In a separate incident on the same night, a handbag, containing bank cards and a €500 voucher, was taken from another car parked outside a house, also in Leopardstown.

This bank card was used to carry out a number of transactions in petrol stations in Ballymount and Lusk.

The Range Rover and another stolen car, a Kia Sportage, were seen on CCTV driving in convoy on the M50.

McCormick was  seen on CCTV leaving the passenger side of the Range Rover at one petrol station and, later in the driver’s seat of the Kia Sportage. He put fuel into the Kia Sportage then drove away without paying.

Runners found during a search of McCormick’s house in late January 2021 matched those he was seen wearing on the CCTV.

The owner of the stolen handbag said in a victim impact statement that her sense of security was “shattered” following this incident and she is now nervous in her home.

The owner of the Kia Sportage outlined the significant impact on his partner and children in his impact statement. He said he suffered a financial loss well in excess €17,000 which included the car’s value and new tools, which he had recently bought for work.

On May 21, 2022, a Skoda jeep belonging to a man working a farm in the Dublin 22 area was taken. The vehicle was reported stolen and was later spotted by gardai in the Station Road area of Clondalkin.

Gardai followed the jeep, which parked in a housing estate, then three men got out. McCormick was in the driver’s seat.

They told gardai they’d bought the car an hour earlier for €1,000. McCormick was arrested.

He did not provide gardai with a driving licence or proof of insurance.

Investigating gardai agreed with Carol O’Doherty BL, also defending, that McCormick is easily led, and other individuals were always involved in his offending. It was accepted that McCormick’s pleas were of value.

Probation and psychological reports were handed to the court.

Ms Leader noted that McCormick has a number of previous convictions and some sentences are currently under appeal to the Court of Appeal.

She asked the court to take into consideration his guilty plea, apology, co-operation and his young age at the time.

He is from a pro-social family and left school after his Junior Certificate. McCormick completed further training and has some work history.

Ms Leader said McCormick is “easily led” and became involved with an anti-social group. He started to use drugs at 16 and built up a debt, which he had to repay by delivering the cocaine.

She said McCormick had no involvement with the cocaine, except to take it from one location to another.

Ms O’Doherty said McCormick is aware he is facing a long period in custody. She noted that he built up a large number of convictions over a two-year period, but does not wish to be involved in further anti-social behaviour.

The court was also asked by defence counsel to consider the principles of proportionality and totality when imposing sentence.

Having heard the facts, Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case for finalisation on November 27.