A FIVE-year jail term was given to a man caught with a kilo of cocaine in his car and an assortment of drugs paraphernalia at his home in a follow-up search.

Some €70,000 worth of cocaine was seized by gardaí at Bessboro Road in Blackrock and today the man who confessed to drug-dealing charges arising out of the seizure was jailed. 

Martin McSweeney of 2 Elderwood Park was sentenced at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on a drugs charge including possessing cocaine for sale or supply when its street value exceeded €13,000. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Detective Sergeant Mick O’Halloran testified the offence was detected on March 21 2019 as part of a surveillance operation. Gardaí stopped the 33-year-old in a car at Bessboro Road.

“In the passenger footwell was found to contain a kilo of cocaine with a €70,000 street value,” the detective said. A search was then carried out at the defendant’s home on Boreenmanna Road.

No further drugs were found. But gardaí did find drugs paraphernalia including a digital weighing scales, mixing agent and vacuum packing.

McSweeney said he got involved in the sale or supply as a result of financial problems.

Mahon Corkery, defence barrister, said the man had no previous convictions, he had addiction issues, a decent work record and had gone to Arbour House. “The addiction was the root cause behind this offence,” he said.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said: “Not alone did he have cocaine in the car but he had the paraphernalia at his home.”

The judge took into consideration the guilty plea, absence of previous convictions, and the defendant’s previous cocaine addiction and said he could depart from the mandatory minimum sentence. 

The judge imposed a sentence of seven years with the last two years suspended.