Two British men jailed for transporting almost €1 million of cocaine into Ireland

By Eimear Dodd

Two British men found transporting almost €1 million of cocaine into the country have been jailed for six years.

Philip Clarke (34) and Adrian Leszczynski (25) both pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply on August 25th, 2025 at Dublin Port.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard a Ford Focus driven by Leszczynski was stopped by customs officers after arriving on a ferry from Cherbourg.

Clarke with an address in Castledoington, East Midlands, was a front-seat passenger. The men told customs officers they had nothing to declare when asked.

When the car was searched, a hidden compartment was found in the boot, which contained a total of 13.9kg of cocaine, worth roughly €978,300.

A tracking device was also found on the car.

Leszczynski of Sinfin, Derby, told customs officers that he was delivering a car from Spain to Ireland.

He said he was due to be paid between €1,200 and €1,500. He denied knowing that anything was prohibited in the van but took responsibility for its contents.

Clarke said he was a passenger and was on holiday with his friend.

Leszczynski told gardai that he’d met a man called Paddy in a pub in Spain and was given €1,500 plus €500 for expenses to drive the car from Spain to Ireland.

He denied any knowledge of the drugs, but admitted thinking the arrangement was suspicious.

Clarke said Leszczynski had paid for his flights for his first holiday abroad. He gave a broadly similar outline of their journey and denied that he was being paid or had any knowledge of the drugs, telling gardai that he was doing it to see other countries.

The men have no previous convictions and have been in custody since their arrest.

The investigating garda agreed with Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, defending Leszczynski, that his client took responsibility for the drugs and was cooperative during the interview, in which he said he didn’t know the drugs were in the car.

The garda accepted a suggestion from Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing SC, defending Clarke, that the tracking device suggested others were monitoring the vehicle.

It was further agreed that the defendants’ role was to transport drugs into Ireland, and they were used by others.

The garda agreed that it appeared Clarke’s passport was issued shortly before he travelled, which appeared to be consistent with what he said about flying to join his friend abroad.

The court was told both men are doing well in custody, have some work history, and intend to return to the UK upon their release from custody.

Defence counsel said the men have no previous convictions, entered early pleas, and have no connections to this State. Testimonials and reports were handed to the court.

Mr Ó Lideadha told the court his client has issues with cannabis and has been clean while in custody.

He submitted that Leszczynski’s role was at the lowest end and asked the court to consider his admissions.

Mr Ó Dúnlaing said his client wished to apologise to the court, gardai and the people of Ireland. He said Clarke made a “desperate, foolish, and criminal decision” to become involved.

Imposing a sentence on Wednesday, Judge Elma Sheahan said the seriousness of the offence and the amount and nature of the drug are aggravating factors.

The judge said the guilty pleas and that the men were not the ultimate beneficiaries of the drugs allowed the court to depart from the presumptive minimum mandatory sentence of ten years.

Judge Sheahan noted both men pleaded guilty, expressed remorse and were of previous good character.

She said the court’s view was that the men played a “significant and vital role” in the drugs trade through transporting a huge amount of cocaine into the country. The judge noted that both men had no trappings of wealth and were not significant players in the enterprise.

Judge Sheahan imposed a seven-year sentence.

She said the court considered it appropriate to suspend the final 12 months of the sentence, due to the men’s previous good character and their efforts while in custody.

She said this would be on condition that the men leave the jurisdiction within four days of their release from custody and not return for 10 years.