Man caught with €108k of illegal tablets got into crime to protect his brother, court hears

Eimear Dodd

A man caught with over €108,000 of illegal tablets became involved in criminality to protect his brother, a court has been told.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Robert Freer (39) was stopped by gardaí on Dorset Street after they spotted him driving while holding a mobile phone on February 4th, 2023.

On Wednesday, Judge Orla Crowe jailed Freer for three years.

The court heard that Freer appeared nervous when stopped, and 54,000 Alprazolam tablets, valued at €108,000, were found in the boot when it was searched.

His home at Shancastle Drive in Clondalkin was also searched, and a small quantity of cocaine was found.

Freer initially did not comment when interviewed, but later said he was not aware of the value of the drugs and wouldn’t have been driving in a way that would have brought attention to himself.

He has 15 previous convictions for public order and road traffic offences.

The garda witness agreed with John Berry, defending, that Freer had no trappings of wealth and was not on the garda radar.

The witness also accepted that generally when a person builds up a drugs debt, this can be transferred to family members who may respond in different ways, including by trying to pay it off or by agreeing to become cogs in the drugs trade.

Berry said his instructions are that Freer’s family were having difficulties with his brother’s drug debt, and his client became involved as his brother was experiencing significant mental distress at the time. The garda said he did not make them aware of this.

The garda told the court the value of the drugs suggested someone who was trusted, but accepted Berry’s suggestion that criminal organisations will use people who have vehicles and are not on the garda radar.

Several reports, including about Freer’s brother, were handed to the court.

Berry said his client’s brother was in court to support him. He said there is nothing in Freer’s past to suggest an involvement in a criminal organisation.

He said his client accepts full responsibility for his actions, which were carried out for a “utterly misplaced but commendable motive”.

He submitted his client’s actions were to support his brother, adding that Freer told him, “I would rather my brother could visit me in prison, than I would visit his grave”.

He asked to take into account Freer’s brother’s documented mental health issues and that he has undergone drug treatment. Freer has a good work history.

Berry asked the court to consider his client’s actions with compassion and to impose a suspended sentence.

Sentencing Freer on Wednesday, Judge Crowe said that Freer’s reasons for getting involved in the offence were “utterly misplaced and reprehensible”.

“He made a conscious decision to get involved in drug dealing,” she said.

She noted how “lots of families find themselves in a situation where they find themselves in drug debt,” and they do not resort to drug dealing.

“This court sees every single day the misery and chaos caused by drugs,” Judge Crowe continued before she imposed a three-year prison term, which was backdated to when Freer first went into custody last month.