Judge jails major drug agent for ten years
An agent and distributor for major drug dealers in Cork was jailed for ten years today.
Judge Patrick J. Moran imposed the jail term on Mark Hackett who previously lived at 45 Barrack Street, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. He will review the sentence in five years.
Hackett was caught with a sizable quantity of drugs in Cork city in May 2008 and two months later he was caught with another large amount of drugs in Mallow, County Cork.
Judge Patrick J. Moran said he suspected that Hackett went to Mallow on the presumption that he would not be known there.
“Your function was to receive drugs and distributed them to other drug dealers. You were a distributor and agent for major drug dealers,” Judge Moran said to Hackett.
Detective Sergeant Jason Lynch said that on May 20, 2008, drugs squad gardaí seized a quantity of cannabis at the South Link Road and following that there was a surveillance operation place at 45 Barrack Street, where Hackett was living alone.
Gardaí observed what appeared to be drugs transactions and they arrested him when he left home with a bag. The bag contained cannabis and cocaine with a combined value of €13,000.
A search warrant was then executed and further quantities of cocaine and cannabis were found inside. The drugs found during this search had a street value of €48,000.
Hackett who is originally from Liffey Park in Mayfield had a drug addiction and was selling drugs to feed his habit, Alice Fawsett, defence senior counsel said.
On July 3, 2008, Garda Noelle Sweeney said a property was searched at Leaselands in Mallow and various drug paraphernalia was found. Cocaine worth €38,000 was also found.
