A taxi-driver who stashed cannabis worth €2.75 million in a ditch behind his home has been jailed for six years.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Donal Creamer, a top official at the well-known north Dublin GAA club Fingallians, was offered €1,000 euro by a man he picked up in his taxi to hold on to a bag containing the drugs.
He accepted because of severe financial pressure he was under and was arrested after gardaí seized the drugs on foot of confidential information.
Creamer (42), a married father-of-three, from Lower Commons, Garristown, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of drugs with a market value of €13,000 euro or more for sale or supply on July 11th, 2002.
Creamer was living in a prefab in a field at the time when gardaí received a warrant to search his home. Creamer pointed out two places under a ditch out the back where the drugs were hidden.
The court heard there was 215 kilos with an estimated street value of €2.75 million. Creamer has been in custody since the date of his arrest.
Judge Haugh said he was entitled to consider the mandatory 10 years minimum sentence but he was satisfied the mitigating factors he heard allowed him to come down from that.