Man who hid cocaine, cash and phone in underwear jailed for five years

BreakingNews.ie

07-05-2025

A Limerick man who was caught by gardaí with over €17,000 worth of cocaine hidden in his underwear has been jailed for six years with the final year suspended.
Evan McNamara (31), of St Columcille Street, St Mary's Park, Limerick, produced a cling-film wrapped package from his underwear containing €17,367 of cocaine, cash and a mobile phone when he was stopped and searched by gardaí at Dublin Road in Limerick on March 5th, 2023.
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McNamara, a father of three, told gardaí he was moving the drugs for others that he did not identify, in order to help clear a €70,000 personal cocaine debt he had amassed to criminals.
He claimed he had been 'under pressure' to move the drugs and that he did so out of fear for the safety of his family.
Sentencing judge Colin Daly said: 'Gardaí do not believe this and believe that he [McNamara] was more heavily involved in the sale and supply of drugs.'
During a follow-up search of McNamara's home on March 16th, 2023, gardaí recovered benzocaine, a cocaine cutting agent. McNamara also took responsibility for a further €9,121 of cocaine found in a subsequent search of his parents' home at Flood Street, Killalee, the court heard.
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Prosecuting counsel John O'Sullivan BL said gardaí believe McNamara was heavily involved in the sale and supply of drugs in the St Mary's Park area of Limerick.
The court heard McNamara is his mother's carer and is in receipt of a carer's allowance.
Judge Daly said McNamara had 10 previous convictions, including eight for road traffic offences and two for possessing small quantities of drugs for his own use.
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McNamara pleaded guilty before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to one count of possessing cocaine worth over €13,000 for sale/supply; to one count of possessing cocaine, and to two counts of possessing benzocaine.
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His barrister, senior counsel Lorcan Connolly, said McNamara had made efforts to change his life and had engaged with community employer Limerick City Build, founded by businessman Ray O'Halloran.
Judge Daly said he 'satisfied' it would have been 'unjust' to impose the presumptive mandatory minimum 10-year sentence for possessing drugs worth more than €13,000, as McNamara had no prior convictions for drugs sale/supply and his guilty pleas were of assistance to the State.
Judge Daly imposed consecutive sentences of three-and-a-half years and two-and-a-half years with the final 12 months suspended for a period of six years, and entered McNamara into a bond which would trigger the activation of the suspended 12 months if he is convicted of any other offence within the next six years.