Latest news with #ShaneScanlon
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
‘Ashamed' ex-soldier jailed for dealing cocaine from ‘safe haven' Cork army barracks because of ‘financial pressures'
A SOLDIER who used his army barracks room as a safe haven for drug-dealing activities has been jailed for four years. Shane Scanlon, 35, who served in the army for 18 years, used his room in Collins Barracks in Advertisement Cork Circuit Criminal He resigned from the Detective In addition to Advertisement READ MORE IN NEWS They also found evidence of drug dealing going as far back as 2021 on his phone. A search was carried out at his home and some €2,250 in cash was also recovered. Scanlon made full admissions to gardai when arrested and co-operated with their investigation. Gda O'Brien said Scanlon was using the army barracks as a 'safe haven' for storing drugs as 'opposed to his house address in Cobh'. Advertisement Most read in Irish News The father-of-three got involved in drug dealing purely for monetary gain and there was no suggestion of drug addiction or a drug debt. Scanlon had pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine at Collins Barracks on Old Youghal Road in Cork for the purpose of sale or supply to another, on March 27, 2024. Cops launch new body cams for officers in hope to 'increase safety for Gardaí and the public' He admitted having cocaine unlawfully in his possession for his own use on the same occasion. He 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, and to being in possession of articles for the commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug-trafficking offence. Advertisement Defending Counsel Ray Boland said 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. 'EXTRAORDINARY BREACH OF TRUST' He said that his client had suffered from homelessness in the past. Scanlon was keenly aware of the 'shame' his conduct brought on his unit. Advertisement Mr Boland said: 'He is ashamed of that and remorseful. I would ask for his admissions and co-operation 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.' 'LACK OF EMPATHY' In sentencing, Judge Sheehan said Scanlon had a lack of 'victim awareness' and 'empathy' of the real consequences of drugs on the citizens of Ireland. The accused wasn't just storing drugs in his room in the barracks, but was 'actively bagging and mixing the product for distribution onwards'. Advertisement He was taking advantage of the fact that the barracks was 'controlled with armed guards 24 hours a day and 365 days a year'. He noted Scanlon only came to garda attention because they were contacted by the authorities in the barracks. The judge said this was an 'extraordinary breach of trust' and jailed Scanlon for five years suspending the last year of the sentence. 1 The judge said the ex-solider had a lack of 'empathy' Credit: Alamy Advertisement
Sunday World
23-05-2025
- Sunday World
Irish soldier jailed for stashing €27k of cocaine in his army barracks room
In addition to cocaine, gardaí found €1,100 in cash and 'numerous drug paraphernalia' including a blender used for mixing drugs, a weighing scales and bags. A soldier who bagged and mixed thousands of euro of drugs in his room in a Cork army barracks as the building was a 'safe haven' guarded '24 hours a day,' has been jailed for four years. Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that Shane Scanlon (35) served in the Irish army 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 March 27, 2024. Det Garda Derry O'Brien said that Mr 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, a weighing scales and bags. Gardaí found evidence of drug dealing on a phone owned by Mr 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. Shane Scanlon admitted having the drugs for sale or supply. News in 90 Seconds - May 23rd Mr Scanlon made full admissions to gardaí upon his arrest. He also cooperated fully with the garda investigation. Dt Garda O'Brien said that Mr 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 Army 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 Mr 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 co operation 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.' In sentencing, Judge Dermot Sheehan, said that Mr Scanlon had a lack of 'victim awareness' and 'empathy' of the real consequences of drugs on the citizens of Ireland. He said that the accused wasn't just storing drugs in his room in the barracks but was 'actively bagging and mixing the product for distribution onwards.' Judge Sheehan said that Mr Scanlon was taking advantage of the fact that the barracks was 'controlled with armed guards 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.' He said that Mr Scanlon wasn't 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 Mr 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 10-year sentence for a Section 15A offence. Meanwhile, Mr 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 March 27, 2024. He also admitted having cocaine unlawfully in his possession for his own use on the same occasion. Mr 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' it was for the purpose of commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug-trafficking offence. The charge of having cocaine for sale and supply when it it exceeds €13,000 comes with a mandatory ten year minimum prison sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Irish Times
‘Extraordinary breach of trust': Soldier jailed after €27,000 worth of cocaine found in barracks room
A soldier found with nearly €27,000 worth of cocaine in his Army barracks room has been jailed for four years. Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard Shane Scanlon (35) served in the Irish Army for 18 years. He became involved in drug dealing because of 'financial pressures', his barrister told the court. He resigned from the Defence Forces after he was caught with the cocaine in a room he rented in Collins Barracks in Cork on March 27th, 2024. Det Gda Derry O'Brien said Scanlon, of Cooline Heights, Ballyvolane, Cobh, Co Cork, was the sole occupant of the room. As well as cocaine, gardaí found €1,100 in cash and 'numerous drug paraphernalia', including a blender for mixing drugs, a weighing scales and bags. READ MORE Gardaí found evidence of drug dealing on a phone owned by Scanlon, with the offending behaviour going as far back as 2021. A search of his home recovered €2,250 in cash. Scanlon made full admissions to gardaí upon arrest. He co-operated fully with the Garda investigation. Det Gda O'Brien said Scanlon was using the Army barracks, rather than his home, as a 'safe haven' for storing drugs. The court heard the barracks is constantly guarded. 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, the court heard. Defence senior counsel Ray Boland said his client resigned from the Army after years of 'otherwise exemplary service'. He asked Judge Dermot Sheehan to impose a fully suspended sentence in light of certain family circumstances of the defendant. He said his client suffered from homelessness in the past. Mr Boland indicated that Scanlon is keenly aware of the 'shame' his conduct brought on his unit. 'He is ashamed of that and remorseful . . . This was done because he was under financial pressure.' Judge Dermot Sheehan said Scanlon had a lack of 'victim awareness' and 'empathy' for the consequences of drugs on the citizens of Ireland. He said the accused was not just storing drugs in his room in the barracks, but was 'actively bagging and mixing the product for distribution'. Judge Sheehan said Scanlon was taking advantage of the barracks being 'controlled with armed guards 24 hours a day and 365 days a year'. Describing what had occurred as an 'extraordinary breach of trust', he jailed Scanlon for five years, but he suspended the last year. He cited the signed plea, the lack of relevant previous convictions and the accused's personal circumstances as factors in his decision to depart from the otherwise mandatory 10-year sentence for a section 15A offence. Scanlon previously pleaded guilty to having cocaine at Collins Barracks on March 27th, 2024, for sale or supply. He also admitted possessing cocaine unlawfully on the same datefor his own use. Scanlon pleaded guilty to money laundering in relation to €1,100 at Collins Barracks and another sum of €2,250 at his home in Cobh. He entered a guilty plea to having articles, namely a blender and weighing scales, giving rise to a 'reasonable inference' they were for the commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug-trafficking offence. The charge of having cocaine for sale and supply when it exceeds €13,000 comes with a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
BreakingNews.ie
23-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Soldier (35) jailed for drug dealing at Army barracks
A soldier who bagged and mixed thousands of euro of drugs in his room in an Army barracks in Cork has been jailed for four years. Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that Shane Scanlon (35) served in the Army for 18 years. He reportedly became involved in drug dealing because of 'financial pressures.' Advertisement 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 March 27th, 2024. Det Garda Derry O'Brien said 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 paraphenalia' including a blender used for mixing drugs, a weighing scales and bags. Gardaí found evidence of drug dealing on a phone owned 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. Advertisement Scanlon made full admissions to gardaí upon his arrest. He also co-operated fully with the Garda investigation. Det Garda O'Brien said 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. Advertisement Defence barrister Ray Boland SC said his client had resigned from the Army after years of 'otherwise exemplary service.' Mr Boland asked Judge Dermot Sheehan to impose a fully suspended sentence in the case in light of certain family circumstances of the defendant. He said his client had suffered from homelessness in the past. Mr Boland said Scanlon was keenly aware of the 'shame' his conduct brought on his unit. Advertisement 'He is ashamed of that and remorseful. I would ask for his admissions and co operation 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.' In sentencing, Judge Dermot Sheehan said Scanlon had a lack of 'victim awareness' and 'empathy' of the real consequences of drugs on the citizens of Ireland. He said the accused wasn't just storing drugs in his room in the barracks but was 'actively bagging and mixing the product for distribution onwards.' Advertisement Judge Sheehan said Scanlon was taking advantage of the fact the barracks was 'controlled with armed guards 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.' He said Scanlon wasn't on the Garda radar and only came to 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 10 year sentence for a Section 15A offence. Scanlon had 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 March 27th, 2024. Ireland Dispute over letting out of 17 allegedly overcrowd... Read More 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' it was for the purpose of commission, preparation, facilitation or instigation of a drug-trafficking offence. The charge of having cocaine for sale and supply when it exceeds €13,000 comes with a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
BreakingNews.ie
19-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Drug dealing soldier was using army barracks as 'safe haven' for storing cocaine, court hears
A member of the Defence Forces who was caught with close to €27,000 worth of cocaine at an army barracks in Cork was using his room onsite as a 'safe haven' for storing drugs, a court has heard. Shane Scanlon, of Cooline Heights, Ballyvoloon, Cobh, Co Cork, first appeared in court in March 2024 in connection with the offence. Advertisement The 34-year-old was before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on Monday for sentencing. Det Garda Derry O'Brien said that on March 27th, 2024, a search of Room 21 was carried out at Collins Barracks in Cork. He told Judge Dermot Sheehan that Scanlon was the sole occupant of the room. Det Garda O'Brien said that gardaí recovered cocaine with a street value of €26,900 in the room and €1,100 in cash. They also found 'numerous drug paraphernalia' including a blender used for mixing drugs, a weighing scales, and bags. The Garda said Scanlon made full admissions in relation to his ownership of the items. He was detained at Mayfield Garda Station on the northside of Cork city, where he admitted to gardaí that he had the drugs for sale and supply. The court heard that a search was also carried out at his home, where €2,250 in cash was recovered. Advertisement Det Garda O'Brien said Scanlon told them that he was not a drug user. Gardaí found evidence of drug dealing on his phone, with the offending behaviour going as far back as 2021. Det Garda O'Brien told Judge Dermot Sheehan that Scanlon was storing drugs in the barracks. 'He was using it [Collins Barracks] as a safe haven, as opposed to his home 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. A forfeiture order has been made in relation to the monies recovered, whilst the drugs paraphernalia recovered is set to be destroyed. Advertisement Defence barrister Ray Boland SC said his client had come forward on a signed guilty plea. He said Scanlon made full admissions and immediately cooperated with gardaí following his arrest. Mr Boland said gardaí carried out the search of the room in Collins Barracks, having received information about suspected activity onsite. Mr Boland said his client had resigned from the Army after 18 years of 'otherwise exemplary service.' He appealed for leniency in the case given the previous good character of Scanlon whom he said deserved extra credit for his signed plea. The barrister said his client was aware of the 'shame and disrepute' he had caused via his actions. He asked that a suspended sentence be imposed in the case and stressed that his client was 'under financial pressure' when he committed the offences. Mr Boland said the probation officer who handled his case had deemed Scanlon at moderate risk of reoffending as he was 'less than forthright about his previous convictions.' Advertisement However, Mr Boland said Scanlon did not see the relevance of his driving convictions to the case. He said that there was a certain degree of naivety at play in relation to how Scanlon interacted with the probation service. He added that his client was a suitable candidate for monitoring by the probation service. Judge Sheehan said the probation officer had noted a 'lack of insight" by the accused in to the impact of his offending. 'There is no drug addict here. No list of previous convictions. No unemployment. He [Scanlon] doesn't seem to understand how serious the impact of these offences are.' He remanded Scanlon on bail until next Friday, May 23rd, when sentencing will be imposed in the case. The accused previously surrendered his passport. He has to continue to sign on at Cobh Garda Station whilst on bail. Advertisement Ireland HQ for elite Irish soldiers to be built at the cos... Read More Scanlon previously pleaded guilty to being in possession of cocaine at Collins Barracks on Old Youghal Road in Cork for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying it to another, on March 27th, 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. The charge of having cocaine for sale and supply when it exceeds €13,000 comes with a mandatory ten-year minimum prison sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances.
