Man caught with €1.1m of cocaine in his luggage in Dublin Airport gets jail

A man who was caught coming through Dublin Airport with over 16 kilos of cocaine in his luggage has been jailed for six and a half years.

Daniel James Johnson (34) of no fixed abode in Lancashire, UK, pleaded guilty to one count of importing cocaine at Dublin Airport on September 28 last year. The street value of the cocaine amounted to €1.1 million, the court heard.

Michael Hourigan BL, prosecuting, said that on the day in question, Johnson had flown into the country on a flight from Washington DC in the US. A customs officer apprehended him and his suitcase was searched, with eight blocks of cocaine found within.

Johnson was due to fly on to London Gatwick, with the drugs intended for the UK market.

The court heard he had flown to the US in order to pick up the drugs and bring them back. He told gardaí he did not pack the bag, nor book his flights. He said he was due to be paid a certain amount of money for importing the drugs.

Johnson told gardaí he was fearful for the safety of his family as a result of the drugs mission failing. He has nine previous convictions in the UK for minor offences including theft, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly.

Marc Thompson BL, defending, said his client was essentially a drug mule who had no proprietary interest in the drugs. 

Judge Martin Nolan took into account the fact that he is an English national serving time in an Irish prison. He said he believed it was probably unlikely that Johnson will re-offend in the future.

He handed down a six-and-a-half year jail term and backdated it to when Johnson went into custody last September.