The former owner of a number of head shops has been given a jail sentence for possession of more than €70,000 worth of cocaine.
Paul Quigley was stopped by gardaí near Enniscorthy, Co Wexford in July 2009 and just over 1kg worth of the drug was found in the boot of his car.
Gardaí said the street value of the drug was estimated at €71,960 at the time.
Quigley, 33, who had an address at the time at Castlebridge, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty to having the drugs and was sentenced at Wexford Circuit Court today.
Judge Alice Doyle gave him a three and a half years sentence but suspended one year of the jail term.
Gardaí said Quigley had been in charge of three head shops, one in Gorey, Carlow and Wexford town.
Quigley told the court he was involved with head shops but separated himself from the business immediately after his arrest.
The head shops are now closed down due to legislation.
The court heard Quigley was a former cocaine addict with 22 previous convictions, mostly for driving offences and that he and his family had been threatened by a drugs gang in Waterford if he did not take part in the cocaine operation. He said he did it to pay off an old drugs and gambling debt of €10,000.
Judge Doyle accepted mitigating circumstances and said it would be unjust to impose a mandatory, minimum sentence of 10 years.
She said a six year sentence would be appropriate but because he had pleaded guilty, she would reduce it to four, and with other circumstances, would take another 6 months off the sentence.
Judge Doyle gave Quigley a three and a half year sentence but suspended the final 12 months, adding a number of conditions to the sentence.
