Two men, one from Derry and one from Donegal, caught in a police investigation into the activities of drugs gangs in the North-West have been jailed.
Jonathan Glenn (41) from Shipquay Street was jailed for 40 months and Stephen George Duffy (52) a father of three from Rusky in Convoy was jailed for 32 months.
Both men, who had previous clear records, pleaded guilty to drugs offences after the PSNI intercepted packages of cannabis, posted in Scotland and concealed in Tayto onion ring boxes. The defendants, who are half brothers, committed the offences on various dates over a 12 month period starting in September 2021.
In September 2022 the PSNI had already recovered almost nine kilos of cannabis following two seizures. Their investigations lead them to a car park outside licenced premises on the Victoria Road near Strabane which they believed was the postal interception address for more drugs.
On September 9, a van containing the two defendants pulled into the car park and observing police officers approached the vehicle. Both Glenn and Duffy appeared to be nervous and when they were searched under the Misuse Of Drugs Act the police recovered €4,730 and £510. The police also found two mobile ‘phones.
Prosecution barrister Michael McAleer told Judge Neil Rafferty KC that the police believed the two defendants worked in tandem and that Glenn was behind the acquiring of the drugs and responsible for selling them on. Duffy admitted storing the drugs and money for Glenn.
“Glenn told the police that he’d travelled to Scotland and sent the contraband back via Parcel Force. He said he had done this on a regular basis. Glenn made the case he was paid in cash to send and collect the parcels containing the drugs.
“Duffy said he would transport Glenn to collect various items and money in relation to criminality. He told the police he had on occasion handled large amount of cash belonging to Glenn”, the prosecutor said.
Judge Rafferty said when both men were caught by the police outside the licenced premises “their explanation did not hold water”.
He said while a jail sentence turned the lives of the defendants’ family members upside down, victims of crime and broader society had to be protected from the illegal activities of those involved in drugs criminality.