County Derry man jailed over cocaine seizure at Louth service station

Two men who were charged following a cocaine seizure at a local M1 service station, have been jailed for three years at Dundalk Circuit Court.

The court heard one of them had told his wife, who picked up the drugs, that she was collecting fireworks, at the Applegreen Southbound, Castlebellingham on October 29th 2020.

Judge Dara Hayes was told two Dublin men were under garda surveillance, when the mum of two was handed a package with €17,472 worth of cocaine before she walked away towards the M1, where her then husband Barry McLaughlin formerly of Faughen Park, Claudy, County Derry, was waiting in his car on the hard shoulder of northbound carriageway.

The then couple had overshot the southbound service station and turned back.

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A quantity of mixing agent was also recovered in the garda operation and €12,000 in cash was found on Christopher Bergin (39) of Tulip Court, Darndale, Dublin 17.

Judge Hayes sentenced Barry McLaughlin and Christopher Bergin to four and a half years each, with the final 18 months suspended for having cocaine for sale or supply, where it had a market value of €13,000 or more.

The judge said given the substantial change in the life of their 40 year old co-accused Jonathan Ivors of Cromcastle Court, Coolock, Dublin 5, he wanted to see how that is sustained over the coming months and adjourned his sentencing to July for an updated Probation report.