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Sunday World
09-07-2025
- Sunday World
Spanish national pleads guilty to conspiring to smuggle large quantity of drugs into Ireland
He pleaded guilty to the charge, with the matter put back by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, to July 21 next for sentencing At the non-jury, three-judge Special Criminal Court today, Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso (56), of no fixed address in Spain, was arraigned on one count, that he did conspire with his co-accused to do an act in the State that constitutes a serious offence, namely the importation of controlled drugs in excess of €13,000 on dates between February 27 and March 14 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State. The offence is contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. He pleaded guilty to the charge, with the matter put back by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, to July 21 next for sentencing. On that date, co-accused Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz (45) of no fixed abode but from Spain; Anuar Rahui Chairi (42) of Malaga in Spain; and Aleksandar Milic (27) with an address in Belgrade in Serbia, are also listed for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to a similar charge of conspiring with others to import drugs. A further six men are charged in connection with the case. They are Kiumaars Ghabiri (52) with an address in Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Ali Ghasemi Mazidi (50), with an address in the Netherlands; Sean Curran (37), with an address at Carrickyheenan, Aughnacloy, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh; Raul Tabares Garcia (48), of Cadiz in Spain; Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega (36) of Cadiz; and Angel Serran Padilla (40) of Malaga. The men were arrested by gardai in March last year during operations in the villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen in west Cork, where a jeep, camper van, articulated truck, and rigid inflatable boat were seized as part of the suspected drug smuggling operation. Juan Antonio Gallardo Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 9th
Irish Examiner
09-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Spanish man pleads guilty to conspiring to smuggle large quantity of drugs into Ireland
A Spanish man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into Ireland. At the non-jury, three-judge Special Criminal Court on Wednesday, Juan Antonio Gallardo Barroso, aged 56, of no fixed address in Spain, was arraigned on one count, that he did conspire with his co-accused to do an act in the State that constitutes a serious offence, namely the importation of controlled drugs in excess of €13,000 on dates between February 27 and March 14 2024, both dates inclusive, within the State. The offence is contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977. He pleaded guilty to the charge, with the matter put back by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, to July 21 next for sentencing. On that date, co-accused Mario Angel Del Rio Sanz, aged 45, of no fixed abode but from Spain; Anuar Rahui Chairi, aged 42, of Malaga in Spain; and Aleksandar Milic, aged 27, with an address in Belgrade in Serbia, are also listed for sentencing, having pleaded guilty to a similar charge of conspiring with others to import drugs. A further six men are charged in connection with the case. They are Kiumaars Ghabiri, 52, with an address in Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Ali Ghasemi Mazidi, 50, with an address in the Netherlands; Sean Curran, 37, with an address at Carrickyheenan, Aughnacloy, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh; Raul Tabares Garcia, 48, of Cadiz in Spain; Pedro Pablo Ojeda Ortega, 36 of Cadiz; and Angel Serran Padilla, 40, of Malaga. The men were arrested by gardaí in March last year during operations in the villages of Tragumna and Leap near Skibbereen in West Cork, where a jeep, camper van, articulated truck, and rigid inflatable boat were seized as part of the suspected drug smuggling operation.
Sunday World
07-07-2025
- Sunday World
Teen jailed for role in Tristan Sherry melee further sentenced for burying gun, ammo and drugs
'RED HANDED' | Among the charges were possession of a side-by-side shotgun, possession of cannabis and diamorphine for the purpose of sale or supply to another and possession of a drug named Phenacetin The Courts of Justice which houses the Special Criminal Court, Dublin The 18-year-old Dubliner, who cannot be named because he was a minor when he came before the courts, previously pleaded guilty to a number of offences at Tolka Valley Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 on May 7 and 8, 2024. Among the charges were possession of a side-by-side shotgun, possession of cannabis and diamorphine for the purpose of sale or supply to another and possession of a drug named Phenacetin, in circumstances giving rise to the inference that it was connected to a drug trafficking offence. In addition, he was charged with the possession of 15 rounds of 9 x 18mm Makarov calibre Sellier and Bellot made ammunition and ten 12 Gauge ELEY Olympics shotgun cartridges. Sentencing the youth to five years in prison with the final one year and four months suspended at the Special Criminal Court today, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor said the defendant in this case was 'essentially caught red handed'. However, she said the court had to be conscious of the evidence that he was 'acting under the influence' of others at the time who were 'no doubt older than him'. She also noted his pleas of guilty were mitigating factors in the case. The judge noted evidence at a previous sentencing hearing that the defendant had been acting 'at the behest of the Hennessy organised crime group'. She said the fact he was only 17 at the time was a 'significant factor' which the court had to consider. The presence of the sawn-off shotgun and ammunition were aggravating factors, Ms Justice O'Connor said, going on to say the defendant was found 'with a multiplicity of controlled drugs' with a significant value in excess of €55,0000. She said the 'devastating impact' of the sale and supply of drugs and the fact the offences were connected to an organised crime group were other aggravating factors in the case. The judge noted the defendant had a 'challenging upbringing' and has been described as a 'vulnerable young man'. His engagement with the Probation Service suggested 'an element of immaturity', which was unsurprising given his youth and background, she said. The judge said the defendant was on bail for a charge of violent disorder in relation to the steakhouse case when these offences were carried out and said as a result, any sentence imposed by the court must be consecutive. Ms Justice O'Connor noted the teenager was subsequently convicted in relation to the steakhouse offence and is serving a sentence of 28 months with the final 12 months suspended. The judge set a headline sentence of seven and a half years in respect of the shotgun offence, noting it was not brandished, the teenager did not resist arrest and there was no silencer on the gun. She said the court would impose a sentence of five years with one year and four months suspended, leaving a final sentence of three years and eight months. She said the sentence imposed today will run consecutive to the jail term he is currently serving, meaning he will serve a total sentence of five years. These were 'serious offences' committed by someone who was a minor at the time, she said, adding the defendant is 'unlikely to avoid a life of crime' without intervention. However, she said the teenager is now an adult and warned that if he breaches any of the conditions imposed, he will serve his full sentence. The judge also imposed a sentence of 20 months for possession of the drug Phenacetin, in circumstances giving rise to the inference that it was connected to a drug trafficking offence; 18 months for possession of cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply and three years and four months for possession of Diamorphine for the purpose of sale or supply. She said all of these sentences would run concurrent to each other. A nolle prosequi was entered in relation to a charge of having cannabis, diamorphine, Cocaine and Ketamine with a value of €13,000 or more for the purpose of sale or supply. All other charges were taken into consideration. Ms Justice O'Connor imposed a number of conditions, including that the teenager enters into his own bond of €100 to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years after his release from prison, that he remains under the supervision of the Probation Service for 24 months post release and that he engage in offence-related and victim work. The Courts of Justice which houses the Special Criminal Court, Dublin Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 7th The Special Criminal Court previously heard that on May 7, 2024, an undercover drugs unit in Blanchardstown observed the teenager digging in the ground. When the gardaí approached, they saw the butt of a shotgun sticking out of the earth, poorly covered in cling film. Eight packages wrapped in black cling film were beside the hole. Four contained cannabis to a value of €2,672, while the other four contained a drug used for mixing cocaine. The scene was preserved, and the following morning gardaí discovered two more packages in a lightly covered hole three metres away from where the youth had been sitting. One contained ten shotgun cartridges while 15 9mm bullets were found in the second package. Further packages containing diamorphine worth €38,962, cannabis worth €11,472, cocaine worth €3,206, and ketamine to a value of €8,230 were found in another hole nearby. Gardaí told the court the defendant was engaged in this activity in the context of the Hennessy criminal gang and had been carrying this out at their behest. In a separate matter, the Special Criminal Court previously found the teenager guilty of violent disorder at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown on Christmas Eve, 2023. During a trial last year, the court heard that gangland figure Jason Hennessy Snr was celebrating with about 30 people, including the defendant. Tristan Sherry and a second gunman entered the restaurant with their faces covered and hoods up. Hennessy Snr suffered a fatal gunshot wound as he grappled with Sherry, but he managed to drag the gunman to the ground. Others in the party piled in on Sherry, stamping on his torso and head, stabbing him repeatedly and using various objects, including an iron bar and a stool, to beat him to death. Three people were convicted of murder arising out of the assault on Sherry. The defendant in this case initially hid under a table, but when he emerged, he engaged in violence against Sherry, who was lying prone on the ground, for about five seconds.
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Ireland has only a fifth of specialist teams needed to work with people who have psychosis, doctor says
There are just five specialist teams working with people who have psychosis but the country needs as many as 20 more, according to Dr Karen O'Connor who is national clinical lead for early intervention in psychosis. Dr O'Connor highlighted critical gaps despite progress since a model of care was published in 2019. 'You're ideally wanting to see people within four weeks of onset of the symptoms,' she said. 'We know that in 2016 it was about 20 weeks then.' She said it is now down to six-and-a-half weeks nationally and in Cork it's down to three-and-a-half weeks. "It is really good, but it's just about trying to expand it now.' Data is not collected for counties without teams. 'We need probably another 20 to cover the whole country, we'd like to have about 25 across the whole country so no matter where you were, you'd get access to one of these teams,' she said. 'Now it just depends on where you live whether you can access one or whether you can't. It's good that we're growing, 10 years ago these teams weren't here.' Dr O'Connor, a psychiatrist working in Cork, also said staffing is an issue, especially getting cover for maternity leave absences. Similar frustrations were identified in the Psychosis Survey 2024 published by Shine, the HSE and Mental Health Reform earlier this month. When Daniela Ferro was just 18 she experienced a psychotic episode at home in Germany. In contrast to what she dismisses as the 'Hollywood view' of this condition, she said: 'I felt afraid of the whole world rather than the world being afraid of me.' At the height of her crisis, she said: 'I had lots of audio and visual hallucinations. One of them was when I went into my mother's bedroom, I looked at her and saw a different person.' She described feeling 'so scared', saying she thought: "There was a witch flying by the window and I heard voices in my head.' Having lived in Ireland for 15 years, she advocates for faster access to treatment here. She waited just 24 hours for admission to hospital in Germany. She said: If I hadn't had treatment so quickly, where would I be now? I wonder would I be in a so-called normal life, have a career and a family and all of that? Minister of state for mental health, Mary Butler, said funding was allocated in Budget 2025 for two new teams in Limerick and Dublin. Psychosis affects how the brain processes information so a person might see, hear or believe things that are not real. It can be linked to trauma, illegal drug use - including cannabis - or prolonged sleep-deprivation, among other issues. It often starts in a person's late teens or early 20s but can also affect pregnant women and other groups. Read More Suzanne Crowe: People with severe mental illness will be failed by proposed new law
