Ecstasy dealer dad jailed for five years

A 49 year old Mid- Cork man has been jailed for five years after he pleaded guilty to possessing over €40,000 worth of ecstasy when his car was stopped and searched by gardai over two years ago.

Mark Bourke, with an address at Kilbrafer, Berrings, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possession of MDMA for sale or supply at Kilmurry North, Berrings on December 5, 2014.

Judge Sean O Donnabhain said that the fact that Bourke had no addiction and was doing it for profit was a serious aggravating factor even though his guilty plea was a mitigating factor in his favour.

But he said he saw no benefit in structuring a sentence in such a way as to suspend part of the term and he sentenced Bourke to five years in jail backdated to May 9 when he first went into custody.

Det Sgt Lar O’Brien had earlier told the court that armed members of the Regional Support Unit were conducting a checkpoint at Kilmurry North at around 8.20pm on the day in question.

He said that gardai decided to search Bourke’s car on foot of the conversation that they had with hiim and they found a package with 5,000 MDMA tablets in the footwell of the front passenger seat.

Det Sgt O’Brien said that Bourke was arrested and taken to Gurranebraher Garda Station for questioning but said he knew nothing about the package and denied any knowledge of the drugs.

He told gardai that he had a problem with rats in the car but he provided no material assistance to gardai during the interview as to where the drugs came from or where they were destined for.

Det Sgt O’Brien said that Bourke had a previous Section 3 conviction for simple possession of drugs while he also had a conviction from the UK for a firearms offence dating back to June 1990, he said.

Defence counsel Mahon Corkery BL said his client was a married father of three who worked doing odd jobs in the local community and his wife and children were all dependent on him.

Judge O Donnabhain said that he was not going to view Bourke’s commentary to gardai about rats in the car as an aggravating factor as he imposed the five year jail term on the accused.