Jail after €1.2m cannabis bust

A Sligo man has been jailed for six years after driving from his home to collect drugs in County Kildare.

Eugene Mulligan (53) formerly of Drumfin and Hillside Cottage, Carrigans Upper, Ballymote was caught with €1.2 million worth of cannabis after leaving the property in County Kildare.

Another man Eric Lawler was given five years behind bars for his role in the massive cocaine and cannabis operation busted by gardaí during the pandemic lockdown in 2021.

Lawler owned the property Cypress House at Baybush, Straffan where 314 kilos of cannabis valued at €6.2 million along with 9.2 kilos of cocaine were located in the garage. Nine kilos of cocaine were also found in a hidden compartment in a specially modified van parked by his house.

Mulligan was charged with possession of 60 kilos cannabis after his Peugeot car was stopped and searched by officers cers from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau at Kill Hill, Kill on 11 February.

Mulligan was stopped with the drugs collected at Cypress House.

Lawlor lived alone at the property and by his own admission had accumulated a drug debt, was addicted to cocaine on which he spent €1400 a week, a Garda told a previous court.

The Garda agreed that Lawlor had said:“I did what I had to do to keep everyone safe.”

Mulligan was described “a trusted member of this organised crime group.”

A Garda said the cannabis which Mulligan collected was packed into 35 vacuum packed bags found five ve black plastic bags with a street value lue of €1.2 million.

Det Gda Donal Donoghue told an earlier District Court hearing that said an operation ion was put in place in Kildare by the DOCB and a car driven by Mulligan was stopped at Kill Hill, Kill. Around 60kg of cannabis herb valued at €1.2m was recovered and a search warrant was issued for the home of Eric Lawlor.

The court heard that during a search of the property 314kg of cannabis herb valued at €6.2m was found.

Det Gda Donoghue said a van parked outside the property was also searched which was found to have a hidden compartment concealed with a magnet that could be opened by pressing a button. When this was searched 9kg of cocaine worth around €650k, a kilo of benzococaine mixing agent and a quantity of ketamine was discovered.

He said gardaí believed the drugs found on Mulligan were “identical” to the drugs that came from the house.

Lawlor was at the property where the drugs were being stored and Mulligan came from Sligo to collect a portion of these drugs.