Collopy faces sentence after €6k in cocaine found in ice cream van
The story, right out of a Hollywood film set, unfolded yesterday at Limerick Circuit Court.
A drugs squad detective told of the large amounts of cocaine found in one of a fleet of ice cream vans owned by 41-year-old Paul Collopy.
Some cocaine had been hidden in a tub under the bonnet and more in a bag near a window from where the ice cream was sold and handed out.
The total value of the cocaine haul discovered in the van was €6,600.
Collopy operated the ice cream business with a fleet of vans from his home at Glenbrook, Ballysimon, Limerick.
He had started out in his working life delivering coal.
Det Garda David McGrath told of a raid carried out at Collopy’s premises on November 25, 2014.
On searching under the bonnet of one ice cream van, they found cocaine worth more than €2,600 in a tub.
A further batch worth almost €4,000 was discovered in a money bag near the window from where the ice cream was sold.
Gardai also seized €5,000 in cash, allegedly proceeds from the drugs business, along with digital weighing scales.
Two “tick lists” detailing drugs transactions worth €25,000 and €20,000 were also discovered.
Det Garda McGrath said Collopy, who is serving a jail sentence for another drugs offence, was a cocaine wholesaler and addicted to crack cocaine.
It was stated in court that Collopy came from a very good family background and both parents were hard-working people.
Collopy is married with three children.
In 2007, he was sentenced to five years for a drugs offence and was subsequently jailed for four years for a major drugs crime in County Clare.
Judge Tom O’Donnell adjourned, until December 16, sentencing for the offence of sale or supply of drugs.
Meanwhile, in a separate case before the circuit court in Limerick yesterday, the judge heard a climate control system had been installed at a rented house in rural Co Limerick to promote the growing of cannabis plants.
Polish national, Marian Andrzejack, aged 24, with an address at Athlacca, Co Limerick had been recruited by others, it was stated, to act as a “gardener” to look after the harvesting of cannabis plants. He yesterday pleaded guilty to having cannabis for sale or supply.
When gardaí from Bruff station raided the house at Athlacca on June 29 last year, they discovered fully matured cannabis plants with a street value of €116,000. The accused revealed it had been the third harvest of cannabis since he had been recruited.
He was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
