A criminal gang who were caught trying to extract cocaine from a duvet lining that was posted from Brazil have been given jail terms of between five and 12 years.
The court heard how the operation at a house in Bantry, Co Cork involved the gang using an industrial cleaning agent to leach cocaine from the duvet.
It had been soaked in the drug and posted from Brazil to an address in Clondalkin in 2017.
37-year-old Sean MacManus from Burrowfield Road, Baldoyle, Dublin was described as the main organiser of the operation and was sentenced to 15 years in jail with three years suspended.
Co-accused Molly Sloyan (25) from Abbey Court in Kinsale in Co Cork but with an address at Benidorm in Spain and Dean Gilsenan (27) from Kilmahuddrick Green, Clondalkin in Dublin were each given ten year sentences with three years suspended for their part in the operation.
A fourth co-accused, Dean Gilsenan’s father, William (52) also of Kilmahuddrick Green, Clondalkin was given a seven year sentence with two years suspended for his part in the cocaine extracting scheme.
All four had pleaded guilty to possessing over €50,000 worth of cocaine for sale or supply.
Judge Sean O Donnabhain said it was an extraordinary case.
He said he could not compare it to either a normal possession for sale or supply case or a cannabis growhouse case given the level of planning and organisation that went into importing the fabric from Brazil and extracting the cocaine.
He noted that all four had pleaded guilty to the offences and provided a certain level of co-operation to gardai and that was of benefit to them when it came to structuring sentences so that they would get a portion suspended on condition that they would be of good behaviour upon their release.
