Two men 'caught red handed' in seizure of €472,000 worth of cannabis
Olivia Kelleher
Two men have appeared before a special sitting of Fermoy District Court in Co Cork charged in connection with the seizure of 23.6kg of herbal cannabis with a street value of €472,000 at a house in the Newmarket area of the county earlier this week.
Thomas Doody (32) and Gavin Downey (30) were charged with possession and possession for sale or supply of cannabis at Glennamucklagh West in Newmarket, Co Cork on Wednesday. The offences are contrary to Section 3 and Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The evidence from gardaí was that Mr Doody and Mr Downey were “caught red-handed” loading boxes containing cannabis when gardaí arrived at the scene at 2.30pm on January 28th.
Detective Garda Brendan McGarry gave evidence of the arrest, charge and caution of Thomas Doody of Glennamucklagh West. He said that Mr Doody made no reply when the charges were put to him after caution at 12.05pm on Friday.
An objection to bail was made. Det Gda McGarry cited the seriousness of the charges, the amount of drugs seized, and the possibility of further charges.
He said that the defendant was caught “red-handed” loading a consignment of cannabis into a vehicle when gardaí arrived at the scene with a search warrant.
Det Gda McGarry said that further, more serious charges were likely to follow. He told the court that Mr Doody was “actively involved in the supply of drugs at the divisional and regional level.”
He also stated that there was a possibility that the accused man would carry out further offences if he was granted bail in the case.
He said during the course of the interview, gardaí put telephonic evidence to the accused man, which related to him carrying out drug-related intimidation.
Det Gda McGarry said that Mr Doody was a drug user. He refuted suggestions made by defence solicitor, Denis Linehan, that Mr Doody possibly did not know what was in the unmarked boxes which had been delivered to the property.
Det Gda McGarry said that the accused man was “actively involved in the sale and supply of drugs at a high level.
“When we arrived at the scene, he was loading the boxes (into the car). He panicked and threw it (a box) in the air. It is clear he knew what was in the box.”
Mr Linehan asked that bail be granted to his client, who resides in a caravan at the rear of the property where he was arrested. He spoke of the “tangible connections” of the father of one to the local area.
However, Det Gda McGarry told the court that Mr Doody had lived in Germany for a year from 2022 to 2023. He said that he observed the accused man loading “a large consignment of cannabis into the boot of a car.” He added that the “car was ready for road.”
The court was told that there were no bail conditions that would alleviate garda concerns. Judge Miriam Walsh declined to grant bail in the case arising out of the seriousness of the charges. She remanded Mr Doody in custody to appear before Mallow District Court in Co Cork by video link on February 3rd next.
Meanwhile, Garda Anthony Finn gave evidence of the arrest charge and caution of Gavin Downey of Glennamucklagh West. He said that Mr Downey made no reply when the charges were put to him following caution at noon today.
Garda Finn said that was an objection to bail arising out of the gravity of the charges and the nature of the evidence facing the accused.
“He (Downey) was caught red-handed. A substantial quantity of cannabis had been delivered. He was loading cannabis into the boot.”
He said that the defendant resided at the address where he was caught with the drugs. Garda Finn said that there was “highly incriminating” telephonic evidence of the involvement of Mr Downey in the sale and supply of drugs.
Mr Downey was represented in court by solicitor Charles O’Connor. He said that his client was willing to reside outside of the area if he was granted bail in the case.
He stated that the father of five was a native of Mallow and could stay there whilst on bail. Judge Walsh refused bail and remanded Mr Downey in custody to appear before Mallow District Court by video link on February 3rd.
A 26-year-old woman who was arrested in connection with the investigation was released without charge. A file will be prepared for DPP.
The arrests were carried out as part of an intelligence-led operation involving the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), Cork North West Divisional Drugs Unit and Revenue Customs Service.
The seized drugs have sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. This seizure forms part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by the Garda Commissioner in 2021.
