Dublin construction boss and three staff charged over €5.1m cannabis hidden in coffee tables

A Dublin construction firm director and three employees face drugs charges after gardaí intercepted 255kg of cannabis concealed in a coffee table delivery from Canada.

Cannabis haul worth €5.1m smuggled inside coffee tables delivered to Dublin firm

A director of a Dublin construction company and three of his employees appeared before Dublin District Court on Thursday, charged with possessing 255 kilograms of cannabis with intent to supply, following a Garda undercover operation, TheJournal.ie reports.

John Sheppard (61), director of Streamville Construction, company secretary Dermot Hogan (51), gas fitter Anthony Daly (43), and Jason Gibbons (27) were arrested after the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau carried out a "controlled delivery" of a consignment originally dispatched from Toronto, Canada. The drugs, valued at €5.1 million, had been concealed inside ten coffee tables.

The charges relate to events at Carndonagh Road, Donaghmede, Dublin 13.

An undercover garda delivered the ten coffee tables to Streamville Construction's premises. All four men were observed loading the tables onto a flat-bed truck, which then departed in convoy with two vans. During the operation, one of the vans rammed a garda vehicle.

Judge Máire Conneely was told the operation was sophisticated and involved a transnational criminal organisation.

Detective Garda Karl Howard, giving evidence to defence solicitor Ciaran Walsh, said one of the accused attempted to discard his phone from a van and to destroy an invoice docket found inside the vehicle. Detective Garda Val Russell alleged that Daly drove the van that struck the garda car.

When questioned by defence counsel Kevin McCrave, Detective Garda Russell alleged that Daly had a six-figure debt and had drawn his employer into the scheme to bring in the consignment. The court heard, however, that Daly denied any knowledge that the cargo contained cannabis.

Detective Garda Redmond O'Leary told the court that Sheppard's firm had placed the order for the coffee tables, but that Sheppard claimed he was unaware the consignment contained drugs. His solicitor, Kelly Breen, highlighted Sheppard's strong ties to Ireland and informed the court he was dealing with health problems. Sheppard is a father of three.

Detective Garda Rioghnach O'Sullivan alleged that Hogan had handled the freight delivery charges and associated documents. His barrister, Paddy Flynn, told the court that Hogan, who also works for the Office of Public Works, has serious medical problems. The court heard that more serious charges could potentially be brought against the accused.

Lawyers for all four men emphasised that their clients carry the presumption of innocence.

Bail was granted following a contested hearing. Sheppard of Streamville Road, Kilbarrack, Gibbons of Snowdrop Walk, Darndale, Hogan of Donaghmede Road, and Daly of Edenmore Park, Raheny, were remanded in custody with consent to bail. Bail was set at €3,000 for Hogan, €5,000 each for Sheppard and Gibbons, and €7,000 for Daly.

Conditions attached to bail require each man to surrender his passport, not apply for a replacement, refrain from contacting the other accused, and sign on regularly at his local garda station.

All four are due to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Friday.

Source: TheJournal.ie