Truck driver smuggled over €1m in cocaine into country

A truck driver from Cavan has been sentenced to four years' imprisonment following his conviction for drug smuggling at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Maurice McCreesh, aged 38 and resident in Lisreagh, pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine for sale or supply. Gardaí discovered nearly 15 kilos of cocaine, valued at over €1 million, concealed in his truck at Dublin Port on 12 September 2015. The defendant initially claimed to be a customs informant but subsequently admitted transporting the drugs from Liverpool to Dublin on behalf of criminals to whom he owed money. The court heard McCreesh had been coerced into the arrangement following financial pressure and had spent time in hiding from the gang involved. Judge Martin Nolan imposed the sentence having regard to the seriousness of the offence, while acknowledging the defendant's co-operation with gardaí and absence of previous convictions.