Kildare-Meath border resident who was caught driving a car which contained €420,000 worth of cocaine is jailed for two years

A man who was driving a car which contained €420,000 worth of cocaine has been jailed for two years.

Eamon Larkin (69) of Jenkinstown, Kilcock, County Meath, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on June 12, 2023 at the N2, The Ward, Dublin 11.

An investigating garda told prosecuting counsel today (Tuesday, May 14) that gardai had information that a Skoda with a D10 registration would be involved in the movement of a large quantity of drugs in the Ashbourne area.

Larkin was driving this car, which gardai later stopped and searched.

A total of six kilos of cocaine was found in a shopping bag in the boot of the car, valued at €420,000. 

Larkin was arrested and during interview, said he was approached by a stranger in a pub and offered €200 for his role.

He told gardai he was aware he was transporting drugs, but didn't know which type.

Gardai checked CCTV from the pub, but there was no sighting of Larkin.

Other CCTV footage showed Larkin swapping vehicles with a man described in court as a close male relative at a petrol station one hour before the Skoda was stopped by gardai. 

The court heard the Skoda was being driven by Larkin's male relative before the petrol station.

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Larkin has six previous convictions for road traffic offences.

The garda agreed with Michael O'Higgins SC, defending, that Larkin has not been on the garda radar before this and has not come to recent attention.

Mr O'Higgins told the court his client has been living a 'modest home' in Portugal and intends to return there.

He suggested that his client received a request from 'someone close to him' and this resulted in the offending.

Larkin has a long work history and four adult children.

Mr O'Higgins outlined that his client is in poor physical health and has a history of mental health issues which have required periods of psychiatric in-patient treatment. 

Counsel said his client found himself under financial pressure at the time of the offending.

He urged the court to take into consideration his client's guilty plea, co-operation, health issues and asked for as much leniency as possible for his client.

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Judge Martin Nolan said the court accepted Larkin was transporting the drugs and had no interest in them.

He said it is not clear why Larkin got involved, adding that it could have been 'to do a favour or for some type of reward.'

Judge Nolan said there was 'strong' mitigation in this case, including the guilty plea and that Larkin had been a 'very hard working man all his life.'

He noted that a custodial sentence will be more difficult for Larkin due to his poor health, adding that he would have imposed a term of between four and five years on a 'healthy man.'

"I think he has to undergo a period in custody for his wrongdoing," Judge Nolan said, handing Larkin a two year sentence.