Longford taxi driver receives five year suspended sentence for transporting drugs

When Gardaí pulled over the silver Skoda taxi driven by Charles James Carr (68), with an address at 122 MacEoin Park, Longford, onto the hard shoulder of the N4 it was part of a surveillance operation.

Two years and four months later Mr Carr would be told: “You are lucky not to get a custodial sentence,” as a result of being stopped and searched on July 15, 2020.

At Longford Circuit Court, Garda Mick Fox described the driver, Mr Carr, as “nervous, shaking profusely”. Having told Mr Carr the officers were to search the car under the misuse of drugs act the driver immediately offered up the location of drugs on the floor behind the driver's seat.

The officers found two packages. One containing 123.8 grams of cocaine, which sells on the street for €70/gramme. The second contained 996 grams of cannabis herb, street retailing at €20/gramme.

The value of the drugs haul in the taxi was estimated at €28,388. Officers went to the home of the drug runner where they found €3,950 in cash. Mr Carr was taken to Longford Garda Station where he gave a full account of how he got the drugs.

Before Judge Keenan Johnson the defendant entered a guilty plea to the unlawful possession of controlled drugs, cannabis and cocaine, for the purpose of selling contrary to section 15.a of criminal justice and section 27 if misuse of drugs act.

Garda Fox gave details of the interview in which Mr Carr admitted making “several trips over a one month period” to Dublin. The defendant would go to a specified location, park up and the package would be left in the rear of the vehicle.

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Mr Carr said his entanglement in the drug running scheme arose after he drove a “foreign man” up to Dublin on a number of occasions. The court heard that this man was “assassinated”. Garda Fox told the court: “He said he had a gun put to his head, but that was never proven.”

In the interview Mr Carr claimed he got between €200 and €400 for making the taxi runs to Dublin. Upon returning to Longford the taxi driver would make stops at Richmond Street, Farneyhoogan and Congress Terrace; all locations Gardaí had under surveillance at the time.

Garda Fox said Mr Carr was “on the radar”, adding he was also observed at addresses under surveillance since his arrest. The officer said the defendant's taxi licence was rescinded by the courts.

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Counsel for the defendant, Dara Foynes SC, spoke of her client's “depression and anxiety” as a result of the incident. Ms Foynes said Mr Carr was “a carrier, not an active seller” of the drugs, describing his involvement in the Longford drug trade as “a massive deviation from how he has lived his life”.

The barrister said the defendant intends to move out of Longford once this matter is finalised. Ms Foynes urged Judge Johnson to depart from the mandatory minimum sentence pointing to the probation report observation that Mr Carr was “a low risk of re-offending”.

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Judge Johnson said the Gardaí are to be commended on their work in this case. The judge said Mr Carr “knowingly partook in the offence”. He spoke of the effects on society in general and locally: “Drugs are awash in this area,” the judge noted.

Mitigation factors like the early plea of guilty, Carr's “fulsome cooperation”, the loss of his taxi licence, his way of making a living, and the defendant's significant health issues were all considered.

Judge Johnson disqualified the defendant from driving for a period of 10 years due to the nature of the offence. The judge said: “This offence is ranged in the mid- to upper level, and as such attracts a headline sentence of seven years.
“There is an element of duress, so it's reduced to five years. I will suspend it for six years.”

Judge Johnson directed Carr to enter a bond to be of good behaviour and come under the supervision of probation service for 12 months.

He concluded by saying: “You are lucky not to get a custodial sentence.”