Painter jailed for 4 years over three quarter of a million euro drugs shipment 

By Natasha Reid 

A 45-year-old painter and decorator has been jailed for four years for being the ‘warehouse man’ for a three-quarter-of-a-million-euro drug shipment. 

 Christopher Connaughton , a father-of-five including a newborn baby, with an address at Shinguan, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, received the sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday. 

 Connaughton pleaded guilty to possession of both cannabis herb and cannabis resin on July 18 2023 at a unit at Greenhills Industrial Estate in Dublin. 

 Detective Garda Eamon Tighe told the court that Customs attended a warehouse in Tallaght four days earlier, along with a dog called Robbie who detected the drugs on two pallets. 

 On July 18, Det Gda Tighe and colleagues made a controlled delivery of the pallets to the unit at Greenhills, where the accused signed for the delivery using a fake name.

Det Gda Tighe helped him unload the drugs and Connaughton took the two pallets into the warehouse. 

Observations continued and gardai later carried out a search, which uncovered more than €726,000 worth of cannabis. 

The accused was arrested and admitted his involvement, saying that he had done it to defray a drugs debt. 

His only previous conviction was a single one for drink driving. 

Under cross examination by Connaughton’s barrister, the detective agreed that the accused had not featured on garda intelligence until the delivery. 

“I don’t believe he organised the importation,” he said. “I believe he was under instruction on the day.” 

 He agreed that he the accused was a ‘warehouse man’, and that his job was just to take in the pallets. 

 “I would accept that he was probably not aware of the volume,” he said, referring to the almost 100 kilos delivered. 

 The detective could not confirm that the drug debt had arisen from a family member 10 years earlier. 

 Defence counsel handed in a letter from the accused, in which he wrote of his remorse and shame, and the difficulties his wife would face in raising children while he served a sentence. 

 Counsel said that Connaughton had no financial interest in the pallets of drugs, that his was a totally subservient role, and that he was under duress. 

 It was not going to be easy for him to serve time with a newborn baby at home, he said. 

 Judge Martin Nolan said that there was good mitigation, but a substantial amount of drugs 

 “He’s obviously not at the highest level, but low to middle,” he said of his involvement. 

 He sentenced him to four years in prison.