A man jailed for 15 years for having drugs worth €480,000 for sale or supply has appealed against his conviction to the Court of Criminal Appeal. Judgment on the appeal by Michael Tanner was reserved to a later date.
Tanner (40), Inchydoney Island, Clonakilty, west Cork was found guilty in November last year by a jury at Cork Circuit Criminal Court of having a quantity of cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine for sale or supply.
The trial heard gardaí found a quantity of drugs in the boot of a car in an underground car park on South Terrace, Cork, on June 3rd, 2004, in a parking space which the prosecution claimed Tanner had rented and paid for under a false name.
A co-accused, James Tobin (41), Assumption Place, Clonakilty, was given a five-year sentence, with 3½ years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to having drugs for sale or supply.
Presenting Tanner's appeal yesterday, Niall Durnin SC said there was no evidence his client had any contact with the drugs and the claim that he exercised control of the drugs could not be supported by the evidence.
John Edwards SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, argued that Tanner clearly knew drugs were in the car. He had rented the car space, gave a false name and dealt in cash for the rental transaction. Both Tanner and Tobin had acted in common design and concert, he submitted.