Mayo man had cocaine valued at €9,000 buried beside tree
The defendant pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
A man was caught “red-handed” with more than €9,000 worth of cocaine.
Darragh Reidy, aged 31, of Rushbrook, Clogher, Westport, pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to possessing controlled drugs with intent to supply.
On January 20, 2022, Gardaí acting on a tip-off carried out surveillance of a forest road layby at Lapallagh, between Castlebar and Newport.
A car being driven by Reidy pulled up at the location. He exited the vehicle and walked to a tree in the forestry from where he retrieved a plastic container. He put several zip bags containing white powder in his pockets before burying the container beside another tree.
He was searched at the scene by Gardaí and cocaine valued at €9,576 was found. A mixing agent used to bulk up the drug was also recovered.
Reidy has previous convictions for motoring offences.
Defending barrister Christina Burke said her client has anxiety issues and was deeply impacted by the suicide of a childhood friend. He became addicted to cocaine but managed to maintain a job as a fibre-optic engineer while consuming vast quantities of the drug.
The court heard he was spending €900 a week on cocaine at the height of his addiction and took to selling drugs to feed his habit and pay off drug debts. Ms Burke said Reidy, a father-of-one, is deeply remorseful.
Judge Eoin Garavan said Reidy’s addiction became a spiral that caused him to sell drugs and make others addicted.
“And the rot spreads everywhere,” he remarked.
The judge adjourned sentencing until July 1, 2025.
