A lorry driver who transported a shipment containing €2.8 million worth of cocaine hidden beneath a legitimate load of Lego toys has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told that Offaly native Noel Smullen (58) had a smaller role in the drug importation scheme compared with his co-accused, Killian McNay, reports Breaking News.
McNay (40), from Ardilaun Green, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, received a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence earlier this month.
Smullen, of Silverdale, Clara, Co Offaly, pleaded guilty to unlawfully importing cocaine with a market value exceeding €13,000 at Dublin Port on September 22nd, 2024, reports Breaking News.
Detective Garda Kylie Byrne told prosecutor Brian Storan BL that customs officials at the port became suspicious of the articulated lorry driven by Smullen. Although the vehicle passed an initial scan using a handheld device, officers opted to carry out a full x-ray inspection.
The scan uncovered a hidden metal compartment in the floor of the flatbed trailer, designed to evade detection. Inside were 40 kilograms of cocaine wrapped in blocks, reports Breaking News.
The court was told that McNay had supplied Smullen with the modified truck, but that both men had taken part in concealing the drugs.
Smullen has nine prior convictions, including burglary and handling stolen goods in 2018, possession of stolen property in 2017, and an assault in 2009, reports Breaking News.
Defence barrister Aisling Ginger-Quinn BL said her client had been experiencing severe financial hardship at the time, receiving letters from his bank threatening to repossess his home.
She said the father of four had spent most of his working life as a haulier operating both within Ireland and internationally, reports Breaking News.
The court heard that Smullen had previously been employed by his co-accused, who later reached out to him via Facebook after years of no contact, offering what appeared to be a well-paid driving job.
Counsel said Smullen initially believed the offer to be legitimate, but when he realised it involved drug importation, he decided to take the chance. He was promised €20,000 for the job but never received any payment, reports Breaking News.
Judge Martina Baxter said she had to consider the large quantity of cocaine involved and remarked that the drug has had “a corrosive effect on society,”
She described the crime as a sophisticated and carefully planned operation, noting that Smullen had even conducted “a dry run” earlier that month from the continent to Dublin Port using the same modified truck, reports Breaking News.
Judge Baxter acknowledged mitigating factors such as Smullen’s cooperation with authorities, his early guilty plea, and his lack of prior convictions for drug offences.
She said she accepted as sincere his remorse and apology, reports Breaking News.
The judge imposed a prison sentence of six and a half years, suspending the final 18 months for a period of two years on the condition that he keep the peace and engage with the Probation Service.
She ordered that the sentence be backdated to September 22nd, 2024, the date Smullen was taken into custody, reports Breaking News.
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