Father charged over €1.2m cannabis haul after Dublin burglary

By Tom Tuite

A father-of-one was charged over a €1.2 million cannabis seizure in Dublin after gardaí responded to reports of a burglary and a Chinese man fleeing with his hands "cable-tied behind his back".

Aaron Mulhall (31), Clay Farm Drive, Leopardstown Drive, Dublin 18, was charged with unlawful possession of drugs for sale or supply on August 13th at Blackhall Square, Dublin 7.

He appeared before Judge Áine Clancy at Dublin District Court on Friday, where he was remanded in custody pending lodgement of €750 from him and €10,000 from an independent surety.

Detective Garda Peter Guyett told the court that the unemployed man was charged after gardaí received reports of three males wearing balaclavas, and armed with a hammer, breaking into an apartment at Blackhall Square.

The court heard that when they arrived at the scene, they observed three males exiting the apartment, two of them with suitcases.

The accused was arrested in the hall; another man was stopped a short distance away, and the third escaped.

It was alleged the apartment door had been forced open, and the occupants, a male and a female, both Chinese nationals, had also fled the scene.

The Chinese man was observed by a neighbour with his hands tied together with cable ties behind his back moments before gardaí arrived. It was also on CCTV, court heard.

The suitcases that the males were observed in the possession of were found to contain 90 individual kilo-packages of cannabis.

The court said a hidden camera was found on top of one of the suitcases.

It had been removed after being fitted behind a fire safety sign in the hallway outside the apartment the previous night.

It was alleged Mr Mulhall arrived with two male suspects and put a balaclava over his face, which the defence argued was a snood.

The court heard the accused was found allegedly in possession of approximately €10,000, three mobile phones and a passport belonging to a named Chinese national who gardaí believed was the male resident of the apartment.

The detective maintained that the accused was caught red-handed. The officer also raised concerns for the safety and welfare of witnesses.

Paddy Flynn, defence barrister, said his client maintains he did not have the suitcase and was unaware of its contents.

Cross-examined by the barrister, the detective conceded there was no evidence that his client had installed the camera the night before.

The court heard he had eye-related health problems, and would abide by conditions set down by the court.

Judge Clancy set the independent surety at €25,000, of which €10,000 must be handed over in court. On taking up bail, he must obey conditions: no contact with witnesses or any co-accused, surrender his passport and not apply for a replacement, obey a curfew at his address and sign on daily at his local garda station.

A second male was still in garda custody at the time of Friday's hearing.