RACHEL’S AGONY OVER DRUG DEALING SON
Teen is caught with €30k of cannabis herb at family home
TV chef Rachel Allen spoke of her devastation yesterday after her teenage son was arrested for being a drug dealer.
Joshua Allen, 18, was caught red-handed with €30,000 worth of cannabis herb when officers raided the family’s Cork home on Thursday.
The parcel was posted from the US to Portlaoise mail centre where it was re-wrapped and delivered to the house by an undercover cop.
Rachel, 46, and husband Isaac said in a statement: “We are absolutely devastated at this turn of events. Our son has made a huge mistake, which will have profound consequences for him.”
THE teenage son of TV chef Rachel Allen has been arrested after €30,000 worth of drugs were delivered to the family home.
Joshua Allen, 18, was held when gardai from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau raided a property in Shanagarry, East Cork, on Thursday.
The cannabis herb had been posted from the US to Portlaoise mail centre and labelled “clothing”.
Mrs Allen and her husband Isaac told of their shock, adding: “We are making a statement in response to, and hopefully to alleviate, the frenzy of enquiry and speculation ongoing in relation to our son Joshua.
“He has been arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs (marijuana) with intent to supply them to others.
“He admitted his guilt immediately and co-operated fully with the gardai.
“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, has never been in trouble with the gardai and has made a huge mistake which will have profound consequences for him.
“We do not in any way condone his actions, we utterly condemn them, but it is not for us to condemn him.”
The caring parents have said they will stand by their son and help him move on from the incident. The statement concluded: “We must now try to look after our son and our family the best way we can.
“We would ask that the legal process 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.”
Rachel has three children – Lucca, Joshua and Scarlett – with chef Isaac, who is the son of Ballymaloe Cookery School founder Darina.
The couple live with their kids in Shanagarry which is just miles from the world-renowned restaurant and farm.
Anti-gangland cops from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Customs officers, assisted by specialist gardai based in Cork City, were involved in the operation.
They moved on the family home after an undercover garda delivered the package containing the cannabis herb.
A Garda spokesman added: “As part of a joint operation, Revenue Customs Officers have seized approximately €30,000 of suspected herbal cannabis and gardai have arrested an 18-year-old man in the Shanagarry area of East Cork.
“Gardai from the Divisional Drugs Unit in Anglesea Street, the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Revenues Customs Service from the South West Region carried out a joint operation in the Shanagarry area of Co Cork on August 30.
“During the course of this operation, Revenue Customs officers seized approximately 1.5kg of suspected herbal cannabis.
“The 18-year-old Irish male was arrested at the scene and brought to Cobh Garda station where he is detained under Section 2 Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.
“He was released without charge and a file [was sent] to the DPP.” A Revenue spokeswoman released a statement last week explaining how the operation came about.
She said: “As a result of routine profiling, Revenue officers seized approximately 1.5kgs of suspected herbal cannabis with an estimated street value of €30,000.
“The illegal drugs were detected in the Portlaoise Mail Centre, concealed in a parcel labelled as ‘clothing’, which originated in the USA and was destined for an address in Cork. “This operation was part of ongoing joint investigations targeting drug importations. “Since the start of the year, 109 drug detections have been made by Revenue officers in Portlaoise Mail Centre.” A source added local gardai were continuing investigations into drug dealing in the general East Cork area.
This is not the first time the Allen family have been at the centre of a major criminal investigation.
In 2003, Allen’s father-in-law, chef Tim Allen, pleaded guilty to downloading 97 images of child pornography.
Judge Michael Patwell sentenced him to 240 hours of community service and ordered him to make a donation of €40,000 to charity.
We do not in any way condone his actions, we condemn them. He has made a huge mistake
RACHEL & ISAAC ALLEN YESTERDAY