By Claire Henry
A man who was caught with €1.1 million worth of cocaine in a secret compartment in a car has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Stefan Copiimulti (42) of Hollystown Park, Hollystown, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to having a controlled drug for sale or supply at The Ward, Finglas, Dublin, on June 19, 2023.
He has no previous convictions.
Passing sentence yesterday, Judge Martin Nolan said that gardai were watching a situation develop.
He said, “this vehicle had a security compartment” and that “this car had been adapted to carry drugs and contraband”.
Judge Nolan said the mitigation in this case was the early guilty plea, Copiimulti’s cooperation, his admissions during interview, along with the lack of any previous convictions and his good work history.
The judge said he does not believe that this defendant will offend again, considering his lack of previous convictions.
Judge Nolan said he could depart from the mandatory minimum sentence of ten years due to Copiimulti’s early guilty plea.
Judge Nolan sentenced Copiimulti to six and a half years in prison, backdated to June 2023, when he was taken into custody.
Detective Garda Mike Redmond told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, that gardai received confidential information concerning a Hyundai vehicle and put a surveillance operation in place.
The car in question was stopped, and Copiimulti was driving. A second vehicle that was travelling in convoy was also stopped.
A secret compartment was found around the radio compartment of the car. Gardai forced this open, and cocaine with a value of €1.12 million was found.
The court heard that fobs were also found in the car, and when two were pressed together, the hidden compartment would open.
The Hyundai was registered to Copiimulti’s brother.
The gardai said Copiimulti was cooperative at the scene.
Copiimulti gave a particular account as to why he was driving the car, but gardai found this to be false.
He said he was driving this car because his own car had been damaged, but gardai seized his car, and it was not damaged.
He also stated that he had found the keys to the Hyundai on the car, but CCTV footage showed Copiimulti walking up to the car and unlocking it.
He also stated that he did not know that there were drugs in the car.
The court heard that Copiimulti is a Moldovan national and has briefly worked as a builder in Ireland.
Det Gda Redmond agreed with Michael Lynn, SC, defending, that his client was cooperative, handed over the PIN to his phone and gave him name and address to gardai when they stopped him.
The garda agreed with counsel that the guilty plea was of benefit to the gardai and that Copiimulti has no previous convictions.
Mr Lynn said his client first came to Ireland in 2007 as an amateur boxer and returned in 2008 with his wife but found it difficult to find work and only remained here for a year.
He and his family returned again in 2017.
Counsel handed letters to the court, including a letter from Copiimulti’s wife, who described him as a good husband and father and a hard-working man.
A governor’s report said that Copiimulti was an enhanced prisoner who worked as a barista in the prison kitchen.
He asked the court to take into account that this client was a foreign national and would find prison more difficult.