€1.9m cocaine seizure in Blanchardstown car park: two men charged

Two men were caught red-handed in a Dublin car park after 18kg of cocaine was passed in a toyshop bag. A total of €2.2m in drugs was seized in the operation.

Two men charged after €2.2m drug seizure linked to organised crime in Dublin

Two alleged drug distributors have been charged with possessing cocaine for sale or supply following a "handover" operation at a car park in Blanchardstown, Dublin, the Irish Times reports.

Gardaí from the Dublin Crime Response Team intercepted the pair at Brandon Square, Waterville, Dublin 15, on Friday. David Royle (62), of Crumlin Road, Dublin 12, and Tomasz Nowosad (53), of Knightsbridge, Rush, Co Dublin, faced separate hearings before Dublin District Court judges on Monday.

The handover

Dublin District Court heard that Royle parked his blue 2026-registered Skoda Fabia at Brandon Square and was observed receiving a Smyths Toys shopping bag from Nowosad, who had pulled up beside him in another vehicle. Garda Stephen Byrne told a contested bail hearing that the bag, placed by Nowosad into the boot of Royle's car, contained 18kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of €1.8 million. The court was told there was excellent quality CCTV evidence and the pair were caught red-handed.

Drugs found at Royle's home

Following the car park arrest, officers searched Royle's Crumlin residence and uncovered a further 4kg of cannabis valued at €56,000 and approximately 5,000 ecstasy tablets worth €50,000. Packaging equipment, including vacuum sealers, was also found at the property, where he lived alone. Documentation, including a passport in his name, was recovered there as well. Royle faces additional charges relating to those finds.

Cocaine recovered from Nowosad's car

Garda Colin Byrne told the court that €300,000 worth of cocaine had been recovered from Nowosad's vehicle. A further 7kg of suspected cocaine found in the same car has yet to be tested. An encrypted phone was also discovered in the vehicle. Nowosad, described as unemployed, faces separate charges relating to approximately 2kg of cocaine said to have been found in his car.

The total value of drugs seized across the entire operation was estimated at €2.2 million.

Admissions and alleged statements

Royle made full admissions during his detention at Blanchardstown Garda station. He allegedly told officers he had been acting as a courier, distributing drugs two to three times a week in exchange for cash payments of €200 to €300 per kilogram. He is reported to have said: "I'm not sorry I did it, I'm sorry I got caught," and to have suggested that had he known the true value of the drugs, he would have sought higher payment, describing the work as "easy money."

Defence counsel Paddy Flynn said his client did not remember making that comment and that it would be a matter for trial. Flynn also noted that full testing of the seizure still needed to be carried out, meaning the total value could ultimately be lower than figures cited in court.

Garda Stephen Byrne described Royle as a trusted member of a criminal organisation involved in large-scale distribution of controlled drugs in Dublin.

Nowosad's position

Flynn submitted that Nowosad denies knowing he was transporting illegal drugs, and that this would form a full defence at trial. The court heard that Nowosad, a Polish national and father of one, has lived in Ireland for 20 years, has family here and no longer maintains ties to Poland. Judge Mark O'Connell did not accept that he posed a flight risk.

Bail conditions and next steps

Bail was set at €5,000 for each man, with an additional €5,000 in independent sureties required. Both were remanded in custody until those conditions were met. On taking up bail, each must surrender his passport and sign on three times a week at a local Garda station.

Neither man applied for legal aid; both privately retained solicitors Martin O'Donnell and Morgan Redmond, who briefed counsel for the bail hearing. They are due to appear again at Cloverhill District Court on Friday.

Investigators are preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions and anticipate upgrading the charges to section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years upon conviction. Flynn noted that if the case proceeds to the Circuit Court, a trial would be approximately 12 months away. Neither man has prior convictions.

Source: Irish Times