
Soldier jailed for 4 years over barracks cocaine seizure
Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that Shane Scanlon, 35, served in the Defence Forces for 18 years.
He reportedly became involved in drug dealing because of "financial pressures".
He resigned from the Defence Forces after he was caught with close to €27,000 worth of cocaine in a room he rented in Collins Barracks in Cork on 27 March 2024.
Dt Garda Derry O'Brien said that Scanlon of Cooline Heights, Ballyvoloon, Cobh, Co Cork was the sole occupant of the room.
In addition to cocaine, gardaí found €1,100 in cash and "numerous drug paraphernalia" including a blender used for mixing drugs, weighing scales and bags.
Gardaí found evidence of drug dealing on a phone owned by Scanlon with the offending behaviour going as far back as 2021.
A search was carried out at his home and €2,250 in cash was also recovered.
Scanlon made full admissions to gardaí upon his arrest. He also cooperated fully with the garda investigation.
Dt Gda O'Brien said that Scanlon was using the army barracks as a "safe haven" for storing drugs as "opposed to his house address in Cobh".
The father of three has two previous convictions for minor driving offences.
He has not come to the attention of gardaí since his arrest.
The drug dealing was carried out purely for monetary gain and there is no suggestion of drug addiction or a drug debt.
Defence barrister, Ray Boland, SC, said that his client had resigned from the Defence Forces after years of "otherwise exemplary service".
He asked Judge Dermot Sheehan to impose a fully suspended sentence in the case in light of certain family circumstances of the defendant.
He said that his client had suffered from homelessness in the past.
Mr Boland indicated that Scanlon was keenly aware of the "shame" his conduct brought on his unit.
"He is ashamed of that and remorseful. I would ask for his admissions and cooperation to be taken in to account.
"The amount (of cocaine) though considerable is at the lower end for Section 15A. This (offending behaviour) was done because he was under financial pressure," he said.
In sentencing, Judge Dermot Sheehan said that Scanlon had a lack of "victim awareness" and "empathy" for the real consequences of drugs on the citizens of Ireland.
He said that the accused was not just storing drugs in his room in the barracks but was "actively bagging and mixing the product for distribution onwards".
Judge Sheehan said that Scanlon was taking advantage of the fact that the barracks were "controlled with armed guards 24 hours a day and 365 days a year".
He said that Scanlon was not on the garda radar and only came to garda attention because they were contacted by the authorities in the barracks.
Describing what had occurred as an "extraordinary breach of trust", he jailed Scanlon for five years, suspending the last year of the sentence.
He cited the signed plea, the lack of relevant previous convictions, and the personal circumstances of the accused as factors in his decision to depart from the mandatory ten year sentence for a Section 15A offence.
Meanwhile, Scanlon previously pleaded guilty to being in possession of cocaine at Collins Barracks on Old Youghal Road in Cork the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying it to another, on 27 March 2024.
He also admitted having cocaine unlawfully in his possession for his own use on the same occasion.
Scanlon also pleaded guilty to money laundering in respect of €1,100 at Collins Barracks and another sum of €2,250 at his home in Cobh.
He also entered a guilty plea to being in possession of articles, namely a blender and weighing scales in circumstances giving rise to a "reasonable inference" that it was for the purpose of commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug-trafficking offence.

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RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Data flags hundreds of Russian 'shadow fleet' visits to Irish EEZ
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Ireland's maritime EEZ extends roughly 370km off the west coast and is the site of major international shipping routes and multiple globally-important undersea cables. Countries are obligated under the UN Law of the Sea to monitor activities within their EEZ, prevent illegal activity, and control pollution. Vessels suspected of being part of the Russian shadow fleet often use deceptive practices, including falsifying paperwork, to try to obscure the origin, destination and selling price of Russian oil on board. They have been linked to damage caused to undersea cables in recent months, in particular in the Baltic Sea. Shadow fleet vessels have also conducted activities considered risky at sea, including turning off location transponders and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. The figures for activity in the Irish EEZ were provided by maritime intelligence company Windward, which uses satellite imagery and AI technology to spot and monitor ships, including those which turn their transponders off. A specific break down of the data on visits to the Irish EEZ during the first five months of the year was also provided by Windward. It showed that 40 of the 162 vessels which entered the Irish EEZ during that time frame were directly sanctioned with clear Russian affiliation. Five of those were sailing under the Russian flag, while six were beneficially-owned by Russian companies. Most of the others were flying under what are known as "flags of convenience," meaning they were registered in countries with minimal oversight. These can be used to disguise ownership and thereby avoid scrutiny and evade sanctions. Windward links the others to the shadow fleet through research and analysis of maritime activities. 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They have no insurance. They probably have not been serviced correctly. It's quite possible that even their drivers, their masters, may not have professional competence," he said. As of May 2025, vessels transiting through EU EEZ waters, including Ireland, are required to provide proof of valid insurance even if they do not enter an EU port. CEO and co-founder of Windward, Ami Daniel, said some countries have recently started to take enforcement actions, and Ireland could follow their lead. "In the last month or two we are seeing the UK and the EU take a voluntary approach of questioning vessels who are transiting, on the radio - asking for their insurance coverage and other safety parameters," Mr Daniel said. In January, German authorities confiscated an oil tanker believed to be part of the Russian shadow fleet off the country's Baltic Sea coast. The Panama-flagged vessel, the Eventin, had been on its way from Russia to Egypt with a cargo of around 100,000 metric tons of oil, worth some €40 million. Ami Daniel believes Ireland could take other steps to challenge vessels operating without insurance or valid maintenance records. "It's not just enforcement at sea. It's enforcement on the flags [of convenience] and what they do with the flag states," Mr Daniel said. "The Irish Government can absolutely reach out to them and send them letters. For instance, are they allowing them to do ship-to-ship transfers and get fuel or other provisions while out there?" he added. The Department of Transport told RTÉ that the Irish Coast Guard, through its responsibility for search and rescue, maritime casualty and pollution response, actively monitors traffic in Irish waters and recognises the "risk that some of these vessels pose." "These risks include the increased possibility of a maritime casualty and search and rescue incidents from such vessels. For this reason, the Coast Guard has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ" it said in a statement. Sanctions impact Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU, UK and the US have imposed restrictions on Russia's energy sector, aiming to weaken its economy and limit its ability to fund the war. As part of that, specific ships have been banned from EU territorial waters, denied insurance, and prevented from accessing certain maritime services as well as all European ports and territorial waters. Last week the EU announced its 18th sanctions package against Russia which includes an additional 105 vessels being banned from accessing EU ports and locks, or undertaking ship-to-ship transfers of oil. The UK also placed sanctions on 135 oil tankers in Russia's "shadow fleet" this week. In total, the EU has now imposed sanctions on more than 400 shadow fleet ships. All European ports are also effectively barred from temporarily storing, handling, or processing Russian crude oil and petroleum products, with limited exceptions. However, even with the sanctions, income generated by Russia's exports have remained stable. The federation exported 7.8million barrels of oil per day in 2021, a figure that had dipped only slightly three years later to 7.5million barrels per day, as it successfully redirected supplies to countries like China and India, according to the International Energy Agency. John O'Brennan, Professor of European Politics at Maynooth University, attributes that at least in part to the activity of the shadow fleet, and says that individual European countries could do more to step up enforcement at a national level. "Some national authorities within the EU have been less than vigilant about upholding those sanctions. That gap is one that Russia has been successfully able to exploit over the last couple of years," Prof O'Brennan added. Prof O'Brennan noted some Greek shipping owners have been prominent in selling their old vessels on to Russia to repurpose, rather than spending money on scrapping them.


Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Government urged to clarify military intelligence powers in new phone tapping legislation
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The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
Man charged with manslaughter of grandmother sent forward to circuit court
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