A Dublin man who took delivery of a stuffed toy which contained nearly €200,000 worth of cannabis has been jailed for dealing drugs.
The man, Michael McDonald Agu (56), received a large Hello Kitty toy which had originally come from Thailand.
After his arrest he claimed to gardaí that the toy had been delivered to the wrong address, but he later admitted tracking the progress of the delivery online.
Agu, from Avondale Park, Mulhuddart, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cannabis for sale or supply at his home on January 31st last. He also admitted dangerous driving and possession of cocaine for sale or supply at the same location.
On Tuesday, Judge Martin Nolan jailed Agu for four years.
Garda Alan Barry told the court that after Agu received the package he made a phone call and then got into his car with the package and drove off.
When a Garda surveillance team then moved in, Agu drove off at speed.
He broke stop signs, mounted a footpath and drove down the wrong side of the road in a residential area. He claimed he was trying to catch up with the postman to tell him he had delivered the package incorrectly.
Agu later admitted meeting a man in a pub some weeks earlier and agreeing to take delivery of the drugs.
During his arrest gardaí found cocaine with an estimated street value of €5,000 on Agu when it fell from a beanie hat he was wearing.
A drugs tick list, bagging and a weighing scales were also found.
Sniffer dog
The court heard the package was intercepted on arrival in the country thanks to a customs sniffer dog. Customs officers found the soft toy was stuffed with cannabis.
A Garda colleague disguised himself as a delivery man and then went to Agu’s home with the toy. Agu answered and signed for the package.
Séamus Clarke SC, defending, said the father-of-five was regarded well in his community and a local parish priest had described him as “dedicated to peace”.
The judge noted that Agu had no previous convictions and was unlikely to commit similar offences in the future. However, he said these were serious offences.