TAXI DRIVER CAUGHT RED HANDED WITH COCAINE AND CANNABIS

DRUGS HAUL AFTER DEFENDANT’S TAXI STOPPED AND HIS HOME IS SEARCHED

A 52 year old father of four will be sentenced today after he was caught by Gardaí with over € 21,000 worth of drugs in his trousers and at his home.

Tom Gethins, who has lost his outdoor staff job with Sligo County Council as a result and who also operated a taxi was told by Judge Keenan Johnson to expect a custodial sentence today.

Gethins of Garavogue Villas was remanded in custody from last Tuesday for sentencing at Sligo Circuit Court today.

He pleaded guilty to having drugs for sale or supply at Langan Drive, Cranmore and also at his home at 15 Garavogue Villas on October 6th. He further admitted a charge that the drugs at Langan Drive were worth over 10,000 Irish Pounds which attracts a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years but the trial judge can impose a lesser sentence in certain circumstances.

Ms Dara Foynes BL ( prosecuting) with Mr Hugh Sheridan, State Solicitor, told the court that the substantial drug haul in the case was at Langan Drive when Gardaí stopped Gethins in his taxi.

A total of € 17,325 worth of cocaine was in his trousers and a further € 1,508 of cannabis resin.

Located in the taxi were deals of cocaine to the value of € 379 giving a total amount of the drugs to be € 19,212.

Gardaí also got a search warrant for his home and there they found herbal cannabis worth € 506 in a shed and 20 small bags of coaine worth € 1,703 in a sock.

Garda Kieran Staed told Ms Foynes that he had been on patrol with Garda Eamon McDonnell in an unmarked Garda car when they received a call that Sergeant Niall Davey required assistance following a traffic stop of a 2010 registered VW Passatt at taxi at Langan Drive ( pictured below left).

Witness said Gethins was very anxious and nervous and there were a number of people around the taxi who were known to Gardaí from around the town.

The Garda noticed a large bulge in his trouser pocket and Gethins was subsequently arrested and brought to Sligo Garda Station where he was searched.

Cocaine was found in the trousers along with a bar of cannabis resin. Gethins said there were further drugs in his taxi.

Gethins was interviewed six times during his detention and he revealed there were also drugs in his house and in a van parked outside it.

However, by the time Gardaí got to the van, its window had been smashed and no drugs were found in it.

Garda Staed said Gethins had previous convictions from 1980 to 1992 but none for drugs offences. These included assault and larceny.

Witness said Gethins told them that he had got a phonecall from a man with a Dublin accent requiring a taxi to take a bag off him at Finisklin and to bring it to the Back Avenue.

He didn’t get any names of who he was to give the bag to and said it was his first time to do this and had never handled drugs before.

Gethins also claimed that the man had told him that he was watching his daughter “here in Galway.”

The defendant stated that his son, Kyle had a drugs debt of € 2,000 which had now “moved to the capital.” His son had left for Australia.

Garda Staed told Judge Keenan Johnson that Gardaí were sceptical of the defendant’s account.

The Garda said there were a couple of safes in Gethins’ home where € 10,300 in cash was also found which was the subject of separate proceedings.

The money was in separate envelopes with writing on the outside such as, phone money, Connie’s ( wife’s name) Christmas money, house insurance, Kyle’s money, red van, household charges, sale of van, bill money.

The defendant had worked for the County Council and he received € 968 after tax every two weeks. His wife was on a Job Seekers’ Allowance.

Gethins denied to Gardaí that he was involved in the sale or supply of drugs in Sligo.

Mr Michael Bowman BL ( defending), pleaded that Gethins had a full history of working for the past 35 years and was suspended immediately by the council following his arrest while he could not work his taxi as part of a bail condition.

Garda Staed agreed that Gethins volunteered that there were drugs in his taxi and home.

Witness further agreed that the taxi business was a cash business and that the € 10,300 was individually set aside and identified. Gethins had also got his PSV licence in September 2015 which would have required getting Garda clearance. He had also never been stopped before for a drugs search.

Mr Bowman said the defendant’s son Kyle ( 28) had run up a drug debt which had been € 3,000 initially and an approach had been made to him to repay it. That debt had been sold on to another individual and the sum had escalated to more than € 15,000 and Kyle was being looked for by a Dublin gang.

Garda Staed told Mr Bowman that there was no CCTV available in the area to show that Gethins’ story was correct. The Garda agreed that Gethins was well known and respected in his community prior to this.

Mr Bowman pleaded that Gethins, who came from a large family, had lost his standing in his community which was considerable punishment in itself. He was also facing, at the age of 52, of being deprived his family.

“His son went to Australia and it fell to the afther to address these difficulties. Pressure was brought to bear to provide a service in passing on drugs to others,” pleaded Mr Bowman.

He pointed out that scales, bags, and a tick list were absent and this confirmed his postion at interview with the Gardaí that he was told to retain and disperse the drugs.

Mr Bowman submitted that it would be unjust to impose a ten year sentence

The quantity was marginal at best for the mandatory term.

Mr Bowman pleaded that the defendant’s two daughters were in college, that he entered an early guilty plea and assistance was given.

The barrister also handed in a number of testimonials including one from his parish priest who said the defendant made pastoral care visits to his elderly mother and was og good standing in the community.

There was also a letter from a school friend who said Gethins had saved his life when his house went on fire in 2002. A letter was also handed in from his work colleagues wishing him the best of luck.

Mr Bowman said Gethins had been identified as a vulnerable person for the drug dispersion and he was seen as disposable.

Judge Johnson said there hadn’t been an explanation as to why there were drugs in his house to which Mr Bowman replied that all the drugs had been provided in one bag and Gethins was to told to take certain quantities away for distribution.

Asked about the van at the house, Mr Bowman said another quantity of drugs had been left there.

Gethins had felt he was being watched at times and maybe it wasn’t a surprise that the van was vandalised as the arrest took place in the presence of persons of interest to the Gardaí locally, he said.

“It is clear he found himself between a rock and a hard place and he made a bad decision in how to deal with it,” pleaded Mr Bowman.

Judge Johnson remanded Gethins in custody to appear before him for sentencing today ( Tuesday) at the Circuit Court.