'Christmas present' pair jailed after €2.3m in cannabis found hidden under frozen chicken

Two men have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following their arrest with cannabis worth €2.3 million concealed beneath frozen chicken. Daniel Bowker, aged 40, from Bolton in the United Kingdom, and Ibrar Sharif, aged 47, from Kilmainham, Dublin, were apprehended on 22 December 2022 at a property in Kilmainham after gardaí observed them unloading boxes from a van. Both men pleaded guilty to possession of approximately 119 kilos of cannabis for sale or supply. Judge Orla Crowe noted the accused had engaged productively since their arrest and suspended the final year of the sentence conditional upon two years probation supervision upon release. The court heard both men claimed they sought to raise funds for Christmas presents. Detective evidence established that both accused occupied lower positions within an organised crime operation and would not materially benefit from the offence.