Gardaí poised for more arrests amid drugs probe into Rachel Allen’s son
FURTHER arrests could be made by gardaí as part of a €30,000 drug seizure during which the son of celebrity chef Rachel Allen was arrested.
Joshua Allen (18) was quizzed after a controlled delivery of cannabis, which originated from the US, was made to him.
He was arrested under drug trafficking legislation and could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment upon conviction – although this would likely be reduced due to mitigating circumstances.
Gardaí are attempting to determine who else was involved in the importation of the €30,000 worth of drugs, and are liaising with US police and customs officials.
It is believed the cannabis was intended for the east Cork market, but last night gardaí said their investigation is still in its early stages.
“The drugs will be analysed, the origin of the package involved will be investigated and numerous local lines of inquiry including an examination of financial data will be followed up,” one source said.
A detailed file will be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), but will not be ready until November at the earliest.
Officials at the Portlaoise Mail Centre had become very suspicious of the parcel which bore a US postmark and was stamped ‘clothing’.
However, a cursory inspection of the parcel determined it did not contain clothing.
A surveillance operation was also mounted by gardaí in east Cork, which resulted in the arrest of Joshua Allen.
Detectives from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) were also involved in the operation.
Joshua Allen was last night being supported by his family.
His parents, Rachel and Isaac, earlier issued a statement which confirmed the arrest and revealed he will be pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity to any charges brought by the DPP.
The TV chef and face of the Ballymaloe House cookery franchise admitted she was “absolutely devastated” by what had happened.
The news of her son’s arrest came as her new restaurant, Rachel’s, in Cork city centre, is the focus of a major revamp in a bid to broaden its customer base.
“He [Joshua] has been arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs [marijuana] with intent to supply them to others,” a statement by Rachel and Isaac said.
“He has admitted his guilt immediately and co-operated fully with gardaí.
“A file has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and when formally charged Joshua will be pleading guilty at the first opportunity.
“We are absolutely devastated at this turn of events.
“Our son is 18 years old, has never been in trouble with gardaí, and has made a huge mistake, which will have profound consequences for him.
“We do not in any way condone his actions, in fact, we utterly condemn them, but it is not for us to condemn him.
“We must now try to look after our son and our family, the best way we can.
“We would ask that the legal process would be allowed to proceed to deal with this matter, without interference, and that we would be allowed to deal with this, like any other parents, in a similar position.”
The family will not be making any further comment.
The teen was detained under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.
‘Local lines of inquiry will be followed up’