Tallaght man jailed for three and a half years for agreeing to transport €80k worth of cannabis

By Sonya McClean

A MAN who agreed to transport almost €80,000 worth of cannabis has been jailed for three and a half years.

Michael Breen (41) was stopped in his car by gardai following a tip off. The vehicle was searched and almost four kilogrammes of cannabis was found under the carpet in the wheel well.

Breen of Harlem Court, Old Court Road, Tallaght pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having the drugs worth €79,480 for sale and supply at Bluebell Mews, Old Naas Road, Dublin 12 on May 16, 2016.

He has 40 previous convictions for theft and road traffic offences and three for drug offences which involved him selling small amounts of drugs to undercover gardai.

Garda Paul Kane told Gerardine Small BL, prosecuting that Breen took immediate responsibility for the drugs, telling gardai that he had picked them up and was told to deliver them.

Gda Kane agreed with Michael Bowman SC, defending that during interview Breen said he was told he would get €200 for taking part in the drug operation. He asked gardai if he would still be paid. He accepted that he had found himself in difficulty, was street dealing and shop lifting.

Gda Kane further accepted that it was clear that Breen’s role was to simply drop off the drugs and that he was “operating at a low level”.

Before sentencing him, Judge Melanie Greally said that she was taking into consideration his guilty plea and full co-operation with gardai. She also ordered that he engage with the Probation Services on his release.

Mr Bowman said his client’s offending was linked to a deeply rooted addiction to drugs. He said Breen had taken steps towards addressing his addiction problems.