Haulier jailed for transporting €1m cannabis
A Belfast haulier who was caught with €1m worth of cannabis after gardaí stopped him because of a broken tail light has been jailed for three years by Judge Tony Hunt.
David McMahon (aged 46) was found with 166kgs of cannabis in the back of his truck as he was transporting it to Belfast. He told gardaí he was too scared to refuse to transport the haul.
McMahon of Leighmore Meadows, Belfast pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply on the M1 at Balbriggan on January 8, 2010.
Judge Hunt said McMahon had thrown himself “into the lap of the Gods. It could have been anything he was picking up and he was obviously prepared to do that”.
He said he was satisfied from the evidence that the fear McMahon claimed he was under was “well-grounded” and accepted that he was not in “any sense on the garda radar or a career criminal”.
Judge Hunt added that he had been impressed by the testimonials presented on McMahon’s behalf and noted the excellent support he got from his family and his co-operation with the garda investigation.
“I have to balance punishment with mercy,” Judge Hunt commented before he sentenced McMahon to three years in prison.
Garda Colm McDonagh told prosecuting counsel, Ms Anne Marie Lawlor BL, that he was on routine patrol on the motorway when he saw a truck, driven by McMahon, with a rear light broken. He pulled it over and went to talk to McMahon.
Gda McDonagh became suspicious when he saw how nervous the driver was. McMahon was “very chatty but not making much sense” and kept trying to steer the conversation away from his truck by talking about a football team.
The garda searched the truck and found six cardboard boxes in the back, all containing bales of cannabis resin. McMahon initially claimed that was the first he knew of the drugs.
Later in interview, he admitted he knew what he was transporting. He said he met a man in Airside Retail Park in Swords where he was given the packages.
He said he had driven down from Belfast, believing he was going to be transporting pallets, but was too afraid to refuse when he realised the load comprised boxes of cannabis.
He said he was to be paid a few thousand euro for transporting the drugs to Belfast and that he was scared of the people he was dealing with.
Gda McDonagh commented that he believed this version of events. He added McMahon has no previous convictions and is married with three children.
Defence counsel, Mr Eanna Mulloy SC, said McMahon had operated a haulage firm but that this went into administration in 2008. He said he came from a respectable Belfast family which has been involved in the haulage business for decades.
Mr Mulloy submitted to Judge Hunt that McMahon had co-operated fully with gardaí, made full admissions and had entered an early guilty plea
