Drugs mule who transported €400k in cannabis has sentenced reduced by three years

A man from Killeshandra in County Cavan has had his sentence reduced by three years following a successful appeal at the Court of Appeal. Malachy Boyle, aged 45, was originally sentenced to ten years imprisonment with three years suspended in July 2010 for transporting cannabis valued at over €400,000 from England to Ireland in his lorry. He had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing 47 kilograms of cannabis resin and 10.7 kilograms of cannabis herb discovered at Airside Retail Park in Swords, County Dublin in October 2009. The Court of Appeal found the original sentence excessive and disproportionate. The presiding judge noted that Boyle had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, displayed significant remorse, and was a man of good character who had been on temporary release since December 2013, working in the community. The court imposed a new sentence of seven years with two years suspended, dating from July 2010.