Delivery driver caught with over €700k of cannabis at Dublin Airport jailed

Eimear Dodd

A delivery driver caught with €716,000 of cannabis at Dublin Airport has been jailed for five years.

Riley Burke (25), with an address in Canada, came forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court from the District Court on signed guilty pleas to possession of drugs for sale or supply.

An investigating garda told Justin McQuade BL, prosecuting, on Monday that Burke arrived on a flight from Toronto on July 26th, 2025.

Cannabis was found when a suitcase burst open before it was placed on the luggage belt. Customs officers used a dog to examine the rest of the baggage on the flight and were alerted to a separate suitcase.

This second bag was sent onto the luggage belt and Burke collected it, along with a third bag which visually matched the first suitcase which had burst open, but was unconnected.

Over 35kg of cannabis, worth €716,200, was found in the suitcases, which did not have Burke's name on them, but the names of two other people who were not on the flight. CCTV footage showed Burke waiting for the bags and checking labels.

He was arrested and made no admissions at interview, but was generally cooperative, the court heard.

Burke told gardaí that he was in Ireland as a tourist for a week. He said he usually travelled with two suitcases, one of which was empty to transfer dirty clothes into. He said he forgot that he hadn't checked any luggage and picked up the two suitcases by mistake.

The witness said this explanation was not accepted by gardaí. She said Burke outlined that he had some personal debt and did not offer this in interview as an explanation for his offending.

Burke has no previous convictions here, in Canada or the United States. He has been in custody since his arrest.

The garda agreed with Marc Thompson SC, defending, that Burke is at the lowest rung of the ladder and had no financial interest in the drugs.

Thompson said he is instructed that Burke had a financial debt, which the garda accepted is likely to be true.

Counsel told the court his instructions are that his client had a debt of $20,000 Canadian dollars (approximately €12,000), which was restructured to $10,000.

Burke gave evidence on his own behalf, telling Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain that he built up debts including credit card and payday loans.

He said he was “working hard” and had reduced his debt to $4,500 before he got himself into “this stupid situation”.

Burke said he was to receive $1,000 which he planned to use to reduce his debt, but didn't get it. He told the court he is remorseful, and plans to return to Canada, find work and repay any outstanding debt upon his release.

When McQuade asked him why he took this “enormous risk” instead of working longer or harder, Burke said he was not “thinking clearly of how stupid it was to undertake that risk”.

Burke's father also gave evidence, telling the court that he didn't wish to see his son in trouble here or anywhere else again and the family are prepared to support him upon his release.

Thompson submitted his client's actions involved a “level of stupidity”. He asked the court to take into account Burke's early guilty plea, and that he is doing well in custody.

Several testimonials and a positive governor's report were handed to the court. Burke has a good work history including as a delivery driver.

Imposing sentence, the judge said this was a “deliberate act for financial gain” and there was “no suggestion of duress or pressure to participate”.

She said the amount Burke was due to be paid was small relative to the risk he took and that there was “no real explanation” before the court for his involvement.

The judge noted the considerable value of the drugs and their impact on society. She said she had taken into consideration Burke's early guilty plea and that his time in prison will be harder as he has no ties to this jurisdiction.

She backdated the five-year sentence to the date Burke went into custody.