Man loses €40,000 worth of cocaine and calls gardaí to report it missing
Man loses €40,000 worth of cocaine and calls gardaí to report it missing
Words: Dylan Murphy
Imagine that phone call.
It sounds like the start of a comedy film, but a young man from Dublin carrying a bag with €40,000 worth of cocaine lost it and called a Garda station to report it missing, Cork Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
The Irish Times revealed today Darren Barnwell (20) of Blackhall Parade in Dublin 7 was on the train travelling to Cork with the drugs just over two years ago.
On August 16, Darren got off the train and realised he no longer had the drugs. He got into a dispute with security staff who would not permit him back on the train to look for cocaine.
Following the incident, Darren Barnwell pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for supply to others on August 16th, 2018.
A person, believed to be Mr Barnwell, made a phone call to an Garda to report a lost bag. He later remembered that he had visited a shop close by and was subsequently reunited with the bag.
Sgt O’Sullivan said that gardaí stopped Mr Barnwell outside of the shop and opened the bag to find the cocaine. Following analysis, they noted it had a value of €40,000.
Mr Barnwell confessed the purpose of the journey to Cork from Dublin was to bring the cocaine there.
Mr Barnwell has no previous convictions and Sgt O’Sullivan said in the time since the incident Mr Barnwell hs not come to the attention of gardaí
Judge Sean O’Donnabhain said it was “an unusual crime” and gave a sentence of four years that was suspended in its entirety on the condition Darren Barnwellis of good behaviour and keeps the peace for a period of four years.
He imposed a sentence of four years, which he suspended in its entirety on condition that Mr Barnwell keeps the peace and is of good behaviour for a period of four years.
