Man found with ‘cornucopia of drugs’ worth €400k is jailed
Eimear Dodd
A man found with what was described in court as a “cornucopia of drugs” has been jailed for three and a half years for possession of almost €400,000 worth of cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and tablets.
Shane Flynn (46) pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply on September 18th, 2024.
An overall total of €396,441 of various drugs was found in two separate searches on September 18th, 2024, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Flynn of Markievicz House, Dublin 2, is currently serving a four-year sentence imposed last November for possession of over €169,000 in drugs for sale or supply.
Judge Orla Crowe imposed a sentence of three and a half years, which she said must be consecutive to the term Flynn is currently serving, having noted that he was on bail for that offence when he committed this one.
She acknowledged that Flynn was “endeavouring to pay off a debt” when he was caught with a “cornucopia of drugs” which she said was aggravated by the fact that he had just been released on bail for the same offence.
She said because of the horror Flynn experienced in his own life due to his drug addiction, he was aware of the “chaos that drug trafficking has on society.
Garda Sean Blanchfield told Kieran Kelly BL, prosecuting, that members of the Dublin Crime Response Team stopped a van which Flynn was driving on the Tolka Valley Road, Dublin 11.
The court heard €10,850 of diamorphine, also known as heroin, and €2,400 of cannabis were found following a search of Flynn and the van.
Later that same date, gardaí searched a house on the Botanic Road in Glasnevin that Flynn had access to.
The drugs found during this search included 779g of cocaine, 1.92kg of heroin, 2.96kg of cannabis, 33g of MDMA, and over 7,000 alprazolam tablets.
Evidence was heard that some of the drugs were found in a locked safe. The total value of the drugs found in the Botanic Road property was €383,176.
Flynn accepted responsibility for the drugs seized and made admissions. He told gardai that his son had a drug debt that he was working to pay off, and he was in fear for his life.
He admitted getting regular deliveries of drugs, which he was also involved in packing. Flynn said he was not being paid, and instead, his son's debt was reduced.
Flynn's 42 previous convictions also include road traffic, public order, and drugs offences, which occurred before 2009. His earliest release date from the four-year sentence is in March 2028.
Gda Blanchfield agreed with Mark Lynam SC, defending, that there was a long period during which his client did not offend.
It was further accepted that Flynn's earlier convictions fit the profile of someone with a heroin addiction.
The garda also agreed that Flynn told them he stepped in after his son was sentenced in relation to possession of over €100,000 of cannabis, leaving him with a debt of €80,000, which he was unable to pay.
Mr Lynam told the court his client attended residential treatment in 2009 and stayed out of trouble for a long period of time after this.
Letters from his mother, an addiction treatment service, and former employers were handed to the court.
Mr Lynam submitted that his client's actions were “done out of love for his son”. He said Flynn became unable to work due to the pressure he was under and has an offer of work upon his release.
Counsel said Flynn used his savings to pay his son's debts, but this was not enough. He noted that when Flynn was caught, he “double downed and made matters worse”.
He submitted that Flynn's situation “spiralled” and was “not of his own making”. He said his client would be seen by drug gangs as an “easy target” and “someone they could rely on due to his own addiction in the past, as he would have known his way around drugs”.
