Drug transporting cyclist gets suspended sentence

By Jessica Magee

A Dublin man caught transporting over €17,000 of cocaine by bicycle has walked free from Dublin Circuit Criminal Court with a suspended sentenced.

Alan Brody (52) of Mulhuddart Walk, Clondalkin, lived a “very quiet life” but accrued a drug debt because of his cocaine addiction, the court heard.

Brody, a father-of-one, pleaded guilty to possessing 249 grams of cocaine while cycling towards the Nangor Road in Kilmacud on June 5, 2020.

Garda Brendan Murphy told Caroline Cummings BL, prosecuting, that he was on patrol on the day when he noticed a cyclist getting off his bike, leaning it against a bus stop and then mounting the bike again and cycling off.

Garda Murphy spoke to the man who said he was only fixing his trousers but seemed to be shaking his leg continuously and acting extremely nervously.

Brody was arrested and a large quantity of cocaine valued at €17,430 was found in his jacket pocket.

He said he had been approached by a lad who asked him to deliver a package, and that he had “an idea” that it was drugs.

Brody told gardaí that he “couldn’t say a whole pile” as he had to think of his family’s safety, but that he thought he was going to be given a bit of cocaine as a reward for transporting the package.

Brody initially gave a false address for himself and when asked later why he had lied, he said he had panicked and was afraid and under threat.

Gardaí searched his home address and found cocaine valued at €1,907 in his bedside locker, along with two weighing scales and the makings of a cocaine press.

Brody said the cocaine in his home was all for him and that he had a bad cocaine habit and owed a debt of about €20,000.

He has four previous convictions, mostly minor, but the most recent was in 1995 for robbery for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Garda Murphy described Brody as a “genuine sort of man” and said his apology was genuine although he had addiction issues.

Conor Devally SC, defending, said Brody became gripped in alcoholism after he was expelled from school at age 15, but that when he got a significant sentence for robbery he was “snapped into common sense” and overcame his drink problem.

However, Mr Devally said that Brody was unfortunately the victim of a random attack by an unknown assailant in a public place in 2013, which had a very great impact on him.

The court heard that Brody was attacked with a Stanley life resulting in multiple stitches to his face which has left scarring and caused him to suffer anxiety and struggle with socialising.

Mr Devally said his client was a “soft target” to begin taking cocaine after he was attacked but pointed out that Brody has been clean of drugs for the last six months and now lives a ‘very simple, quiet life.”

The court heard that Brody has a very good relationship with his 16-year-old son, who wrote a heartfelt letter to the judge.

Judge Martin Nolan said Brody was unlikely to re-offend and that by reason of his strong mitigation and personal circumstances, it would be unjust to imprison him.

He sentenced Brody to three years in prison but suspended it in full on the basis that he be of good behaviour for three years.