Latest news with #AndrewCooley
Sunday World
4 hours ago
- Sunday World
Truck driver caught with €1.1m worth of cannabis said he would ‘smoke it all tomorrow'
Gardai said Andrew Cooley (32) was caught 'red-handed' with the drugs haul when his truck was searched on arriving in Dublin Port on a ferry from the UK on Saturday A truck driver accused of having €1.1 million worth of cannabis in his cab told gardaí after he was arrested that it was his and he was going to 'smoke it all tomorrow,' a court heard. Gardai said Andrew Cooley (32) was caught 'red-handed' with the drugs haul when his truck was searched on arriving in Dublin Port on a ferry from the UK on Saturday. Judge Michele Finan deferred a decision on bail at Dublin District Court after gardai said they considered Mr Cooley a flight risk and objected to his release. She remanded the accused in custody to later this week. Mr Cooley, a father-of-two with an address at Ballyoran, Dundalk, Co Louth, is charged with possession of cannabis with intent to sell or supply on June 7. Objecting to bail, Garda Dylan Mallon said the accused was driving a white Scania truck when it came off the ship from Holyhead at 1.45am. A customs officer stopped the truck, asked Mr Cooley to step out and searched the cabin. On a bunk, the officer saw a large number of black bags with clothes covering them. There were a total of 31 packages and when the officer cut into the bag, he observed what he believed to be cannabis. Gardai were called and the accused was arrested and taken to Store Street station. Gda Mallon said Mr Cooley made admissions in interview and when asked if he accepted ownership of the cannabis, he said 'yeah, it's all mine, I'll smoke it all tomorrow.' The total estimated value of the 55.4kg of cannabis seized was €1.108m. Gda Mallon said it was alleged the accused was caught red-handed with the cannabis in the cabin of a truck that he had been driving. The accused was a professional HGV driver who had taken multiple trips to continental Europe and had been living in the cab, he said. The CCJ in Dublin. News in 90 Seconds - 09 June 2025 Mr Cooley could 'easily' abscond and leave the jurisdiction if granted bail, and had a 'transferable skill set" that made him employable. Defence solicitor Luke Staines said the accused had 'very strong ties to this jurisdiction', having been in Ireland his whole life and with two children here. He said he had never worked in mainland Europe and his truck's records would show he only travelled between Ireland and England. There was nothing to suggest he would leave the jurisdiction, Mr Staines said. If refused bail he could be in custody for two years awaiting trial, Mr Staines said. Strict bail conditions could be imposed, including a requirement to sign on twice daily at a garda station and providing an address and contact number. Judge Finan said she was 'not satisfied to grant him bail today' as she did not have enough information about where he proposed to live. She reserved bail and remanded the accused in custody to appear in Cloverhill District Court on Friday.
Irish Times
6 hours ago
- Irish Times
Trucker arrested after €1m cannabis find told gardaí: ‘I'll smoke it tomorrow', court hears
'I'll smoke it tomorrow,' a lorry driver allegedly found transporting more than €1 million worth of cannabis told investigating gardaí, a court has heard. Andrew Cooley (32) from Ballyoran, Dundalk, Co Louth, was arrested at Dublin Port at 1.45am on Saturday driving a truck that had arrived on a boat from Holyhead. The father of two was charged with unlawful possession of 55.4kg of cannabis, with an estimated value of €1,108,000, for the purpose of sale or supply. On Monday, he appeared at Dublin District Court where Garda Dylan Mallon objected to bail due to flight risk concerns. READ MORE The garda alleged a customs officer engaged with Mr Cooley and smelled cannabis coming from the truck. A search of the cab allegedly led to finding black bags covered by clothes. The contested bail hearing was told there were 31 black packages allegedly containing cannabis. Gardaí took Mr Cooley to Store Street station and interviewed him several times. It was alleged he admitted ownership and told gardaí: 'I'll smoke it tomorrow.' The garda feared the accused would evade justice because he had travelled to Europe multiple times as a driver, and his work was transferable. Defence solicitor Luke Staines said information from his client's employer showed Mr Cooley had never gone to continental Europe and had only travelled in Ireland and England. The defence stressed that Mr Cooley has ties to Ireland and has children here, while there was nothing to suggest he would leave the jurisdiction. Mr Staines said his client could face two years on remand until his trial. The solicitor told the court the driver would obey conditions and furnish a satisfactory address. Judge Michele Finan reserved her decision on the bail application until Friday. She granted legal aid.
The Journal
8 hours ago
- The Journal
Lorry driver accused of having €1m cannabis for sale or supply told gardaí he'd 'smoke it tomorrow'
A LORRY DRIVER who was allegedly found transporting more than €1m worth of cannabis told investigating gardaí he would 'smoke it tomorrow', a court has heard. Andrew Cooley, 32, from Ballyoran, Dundalk, Co Louth, was arrested at 1.45 am on Saturday driving a truck which had arrived on a boat from Holyhead. The father of two was charged with unlawful possession of 55.4 kg of cannabis with an estimated value of €1,108,000 and having it for the purpose of sale or supply. He appeared at Dublin District Court today where Garda Dylan Mallon objected to bail due to flight risk concerns. The garda alleged the truck was stopped and a customs officer engaged with Cooley and smelled cannabis coming from the 2011-reg white Scania. Searching the cab allegedly led to a discovery of black bags on the bunk covered by clothes. Advertisement The contested bail hearing was told that there were 31 black packages alleged to have contained cannabis, and the accused had been living in the cab of his truck. Gardaí were called and Cooley was taken to Store Street station and interviewed several times. It was alleged he admitted ownership and told gardaí, 'I'll smoke it tomorrow'. The garda feared the accused would evade justice because he had travelled to Europe multiple times as a driver, and his work was transferable. However, defence solicitor Luke Staines said information from his client's employer showed Cooley had never gone to continental Europe and had only travelled in Ireland and England. The defence stressed that Cooley had ties to Ireland, had children here, and there was nothing to suggest he would leave the jurisdiction. Staines emphasised that his client could face two years on remand until his trial. The solicitor told the court the driver would obey conditions and furnish a satisfactory address. Judge Finan said he had not given a satisfactory address as she reserved ruling on the bail application, which was adjourned until Friday, with Cooley being held in custody in the meantime. Legal aid was granted.
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Lorry driver stopped with €1.1m of cannabis told gardaí 'I'll smoke it tomorrow', court hears
'I'll smoke it tomorrow', a lorry driver stopped at Dublin Port and allegedly found transporting more than €1m worth of cannabis told investigating gardaí, a court has heard. Andrew Cooley, aged 32, from Ballyoran, Dundalk, Co Louth, was arrested at 1.45 am on Saturday driving a truck which had arrived on a boat from Holyhead. The father of two was charged with unlawful possession of 55.4 kg of cannabis with an estimated value of €1,108,000 and having it for the purpose of sale or supply. He appeared at Dublin District Court on Monday where Garda Dylan Mallon objected to bail due to flight risk concerns. The garda alleged the truck was stopped, and a customs officer engaged with Mr Cooley and smelled cannabis coming from the 2011-reg white Scania. Searching the cab allegedly led to black bags on the bunk covered by clothes. The contested bail hearing was told that there were 31 black packages alleged to have contained cannabis, and the accused had been living in the cab of his truck. Gardai were called, and Mr Cooley was taken to Store Street station and interviewed several times. It was alleged he admitted ownership and told gardaí, 'I'll smoke it tomorrow'. Bail hearing The garda feared the accused would evade justice because he had travelled to Europe multiple times as a driver, and his work was transferable. However, defence solicitor Luke Staines said information from his client's employer showed Mr Cooley had never gone to continental Europe and had only travelled in Ireland and England. The defence stressed that Mr Cooley had ties to Ireland, had children here, and there was nothing to suggest he would leave the jurisdiction. Mr Staines emphasised that his client could face two years on remand until his trial. The solicitor told the court the driver would obey conditions and furnish a satisfactory address. Judge Finan said he had not given a satisfactory address as she reserved ruling on the bail application, which was adjourned until Friday, with Mr Cooley being held in custody in the meantime. Legal aid was granted.
