Addict who stole pharmacy delivery van containing €1m of products is jailed

David Raleigh

A man in the throws of a heroin addiction who robbed a delivery van containing over €1 million worth of pharmaceutical products, after the driver left the keys in the ignition, did not know the expensive cargo was on board, a court heard.

Judge Colin Daly jailed Jason Curtin - who had 190 previous convictions - for four years with the final year suspended, at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr Curtin’s barrister Liam Carroll, BL, said the defendant had since made efforts to turn his life around particularly following the alleged “murder” of his brother, Ger Curtin, who was found dead in suspicious circumstances in Limerick City, on November 4th, 2023. A man is currently before the courts charged with murder.

Outlining the facts of the van theft, prosecuting barrister, John O’Sullivan, said: “The driver left his keys in the ignition, the accused saw his opportunity and he brazenly sat into the van and stole it.”

Mr Curtin drove the van the wrong way down a one-way street with the driver running after the vehicle before leaving the van at a nearby housing estate.

Curtin proceeded to break-into a shed and a car at a residential property where he stole a high viability jacket and a cap, and caused €400 to a gate at the house.

Gardaí found Curtin a short time later hiding in a ditch at the house, wearing the stolen cap and inn possession of the keys to the stolen van.

Gardaí had quickly located the van which contained a built-in satellite tracker.

Gardaí agreed with Curtin’s barrister that the van theft on July 20th, 2024, was “a crime of opportunism”.

Mr Carroll said Curtin — who pleaded guilty to theft of the van, burglary of the shed, possession of stolen property, and criminal damage — apologised to all parities and said his own behaviour on the day was “disgusting”.

Mr Carroll said the defendant, who has a partner and a child and another baby on the way, was now “motivated to live a life of freedom from crime” due to the trauma of his brother’s death.

“He says he has made mistakes and he hopes the van driver hasn’t got into trouble because of his actions. Mr Curtin says he is not not a bad person but that drugs turn him into a different person.”

“He is going to school now, he is on methadone for the first time in his life, he has begun to make a change and he wants to be there for his partner and his children,” Mr Carroll added.

Judge Colin Daly said mitigation in the case was significantly lost due to Mr Curtin’s “recidivism” and high number of previous convictions.

The judge imposed two four year jail sentences, to run concurrently, and backdated to July 20th last, for the van theft and shed burglary.

Judge Daly suspended the final 12 months of the sentence provided Curtin keeps the peace and engages with the probation services or one year after his sentence ends.

The two remaining offences, possession of stolen goods and criminal damage, were taken into consideration.