Kilkenny roofer awaits sentencing for transporting cocaine
A Kilkenny roofer who transported cocaine valued over €200,000 because of his so-called "drugs debt" to criminals will be sentenced later by Judge Rory MacCabe.
Kieran Hickey (aged 24) was observed by a garda surveillance team as he interacted with a taxi they had been monitoring in Dublin city centre on suspicion that it was involved in a drugs operation.
Hickey of High Street, Ballyragget told gardaí he was being paid to transport the 3kg of cocaine worth €208,460 by people "he feared" to help relieve his heavy "drugs debt".
Garda Brian Plunkett told prosecution counsel, Mr Shane Costelloe BL, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the garda surveillance team set up checkpoints to intercept Hickey’s white Ford Transit Van van on the main Kilkenny-bound dual carriageway as they gathered from its number plates it was heading that direction.
He said Hickey failed to drive past the checkpoints because he had taken a wrong turn but when gardaí found him on a south Dublin road after a brief search, they uncovered a number of "block-like" packages containing a white substance in the vehicle.
Hickey pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having the cocaine for sale or supply on June 19, 2007. He has no previous convictions.
Gda Plunkett said the discovery of 2.9783kgs of cocaine in the back of the van was a bonus find for gardai, who had been focusing solely on the taxi before they saw it allow Hickey pull out in front of it at a rank.
Gda Plunkett said Hickey came from a respectable family and was transporting the drugs for people "he was afraid of" because he had built up a heavy "debt" from his cocaine addiction .
He agreed with defence counsel, Ms Isobel Kennedy SC (with Ms Rebecca Smith BL) that her client’s family wasn’t aware of his drug addiction and were "horrified" by the incident.
He further agreed that Hickey had since disassociated himself from people involved with drugs, was now drug-free but suffered from depression and anxiety.
Judge MacCabe acknowledged that Hickey has provided clean urine samples since August this year but postponed sentencing to give "a wider window" of opportunity for him to show he’s drug free.
