'I want to go back to my family': €2m drug accused says he was told delivery was car parts

Gordon Deegan

A Co Clare man has told a court that he never knew that three pallets couriered to his grandmother’s address in west Clare last Friday contained an alleged €2 million drugs consignment.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Odhran O’Brien (32) said: “Can I say something? I never knew what was on that pallet - it was my grandmother’s address. I was told that it was car parts.”

During a contested bail hearing, O’Brien of Cahermurphy, Kilmihil, Co Clare, told Judge Adrian Harris “I have no words for the situation that I am in.”

O’Brien’s sister and partner were in court for the hearing and O’Brien said: “I just want to go back to my family.”

In the case, O’Brien is charged with having in his possession cannabis for the purpose of selling at Cahermurphy, Kilmihil, Co Clare, on May 8th last contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977.

O’Brien is also charged with the unlawful possession of cannabis on the same date at the same address.

O'Brien was first brought before a special sitting of Ennis District Court on Saturday and remanded in custody to appear at Ennis District Court on Wednesday.

O’Brien said on Wednesday that he would agree to any conditions connected to him securing bail.

He said: “Anything that I am asked to do I will do.”

Referring to his family, O’Brien said: “I am so sorry for them for what has happened.”

However, Judge Harris refused bail and remanded O’Brien in custody after gardaí objected to bail.

Det Garda Dáithí King told the court that O’Brien had been caught ‘red-handed’ concerning the alleged drugs seizure.

Det Garda King said that on May 8th, gardaí went to the property after executing a misuse of drugs warrant and when approaching O’Brien at the property he threw two mobile phones into a nearby field.

He said that gardaí discovered three pallets located in a shed at the address and these were wrapped in plastic and subsequently found to contain 40 packets of suspected cannabis.

He said that the cannabis totalled 100kg of suspected cannabis and the State would value the drugs at €2 million.

He said that the pallets were received by O'Brien from a courier earlier that day.

Det Garda King said that O’Brien said he is now drug free after indicating that he was previously addicted to cannabis.

Det Garda King said that while in custody O’Brien made gardaí aware of a drug debt he had accumulated over the years.

Det King alleged that the quantity of cannabis suggests O’Brien “is at the upper end of the food chain judge”, and claimed O’Brien is a potential flight risk and told gardaí that he had employment lined up in England.

Solicitor for O’Brien, John Casey, said that O’Brien’s sister was in court to provide an independent surety if required.

Casey said that this is a case that will go forward on indictment to the circuit court and if bail is refused, O’Brien will be in custody for a substantial period of time pending the trial.

Casey asked Judge Harris not to be swayed by the €2 million value that gardaí have put on the drugs and let that not be the determining factor in making his decision on the bail application.

Casey said that the positive factors in the bail application outweigh that factor.

Judge Harris remanded O’Brien in custody to appear via video link from prison at Ennis District Court on May 27th.