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A young Dubliner carrying a 40,000 euro cache of cocaine to Cork accidentally left it in a Spar store and wrongly concluded that he had left it on the train.
Darren Barnwell, 22, with an address in Blackhall Parade, Dublin was not on the Gardaí’s radar, but he caught their attention when he created such a ruckus at the train station by insisting that he be allowed to return to the train to look for his bag .
It was only through his own actions that officers discovered that he was carrying the large drug shipment.
Detective Sergeant Kieran O’Sullivan said the case involved a bag containing 40,000 euros worth of cocaine.
The matter first came to Gardaí’s attention at lunchtime on August 16, 2018, when staff at the Kent train station reported that a man was in a heated discussion with security personnel in connection with a missing suitcase.
Darren Barnwell was arguing with the staff insisting that he be allowed to board the train to find a bag that he thought he had left on the train.
Gardaí met the defendant 15 minutes later at the Spar store on MacCurtain Street.
They questioned him about a bag and he admitted that there was a large amount of cocaine in the bag that was recovered from the store.
“He fully admitted that he had come to Cork from Dublin to collect the drugs,” Detective Sgt. O’Sullivan said.
It later emerged that the 22-year-old Dubliner had taken the suitcase from the train and left it behind when he went to Spar’s store.
Detective Sgt O’Sullivan said the defendant had not been under garda observation prior to his arrest and that it was his own actions with security personnel that caught his attention.
“There was no investigation. If he didn’t catch our attention that day, he wasn’t a person of interest to us, ”Detective Sgt.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said: “He arrived in Cork in a state of some disarray. In this state, he was brought to the attention and attention of the gardaí.
“They discovered a cache of drugs that he was carrying for someone else.”
The judge said that in the unusual circumstance of the case, which could have carried a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years, he was justified in imposing a totally suspended sentence.
“This is an exceptional case. He seems to be doing much better now and has cooperated with the probation service, ”the judge said.
The defendant pleaded guilty to having more than 13,000 euros worth of cocaine for sale or supply.
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