Man 'held cocaine to pay for engagement ring'
A cannabis user who held a stash of cocaine to raise money for a down payment on an engagement ring has had his sentence adjourned at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Robert McGuirke (aged 30), pleaded guilty to possession of €9,000 worth of cocaine for sale at his home in Whyteleaf Grove, The Donahies, Donaghmede, on November 26, 2005.
Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned the sentence to next July and ordered the preparation of a probation report.
Detective Garda Brendan Breen told Mr Damien Colgan BL, prosecuting, that McGuirke was stopped by gardaí at the local cinema after the stash of cocaine was found in a safe in his family home.
He immediately took responsibility for the drugs and a small quantity of cannabis that was also found, which he claimed was for his personal use.
Det. Gda Breen said he was satisfied that McGuirke was promised €900 to store the drugs, which he was going to use as a down payment for an engagement ring.
He had no previous convictions and had not come to garda attention since.
Det. Gda Breen agreed with Ms Caroline Biggs BL defending, that McGuirke came from a very decent, law abiding family who were "horrified" when the learnt of their son’s criminal activity.
It was accepted that McGuirke made no financial gain from the transaction as he never received the €900 and that he had no further responsibility in the packaging or distributing of the drugs.
Det. Gda Breen agreed that McGuirke was naïve and had been used by this other person.
Ms Biggs said that her client deeply regretted his involvement in the enterprise and that it represented for him a "serious and unfortunate fall from grace".
