DRUGS COURIERS EACH JAILED FOR SIX YEARS

Two men who were caught with cannabis valued at pounds 145,000 have
each been jailed for six years by Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin
Circuit Criminal Court.

Englishman Roy Foster, 52, and Dutchman Jan August Neijens, 49, both
with addresses in the south of Spain, pleaded guilty to possession
with intent to supply and to unlawful importation of the drugs on
February 5, 2000.

Detective Garda Danny Kelly told Mr Paul Coffey BL, prosecuting, that
on foot of confidential information he got a search warrant for a
flat in Abbey Street, Dublin. Foster was there when the search began
and Neijens arrived in a taxi shortly afterwards.

The gardai located 40 bars of cannabis on a couch and another 16 bars
were found strapped to Neijens' body. A further two bars were found
in a hold all bag he was carrying.

Garda Kelly said Foster had also transported an amount of cannabis in
a similar fashion. Both men had travelled separately from Malaga that
day with the bars and had flown to Dublin from Madrid by different
routes, Neijens via Barcelona and Foster via Brussels.

Neijens was paid 135,000 Pesetas for transporting four and half
kilos, while Foster was paid a similar amount for transporting five
kilos.

Garda Kelly said both men admitted their part in the offences at the
very start and were very co operative.

George Birmingham SC, for Neijens, said his client moved to Malaga in
1994 after the death of his wife. He referred to him as a `mule' who
was being used by others to import the drugs.

Michael O'Higgins SC, for Foster, said his client moved to the Costa
del Sol in 1998 to live with his father after his marriage broke up.
He had a couple of businesses that were in trouble financially.

Judge Dunne said under the Criminal Justice Act of 1999 the minimum
sentence she could impose for offenders in possession of drugs in
excess of pounds 10,000 was 10 years. She did, however, say the Act
also provided for the sentence to be at the liberty of the court if
certain exceptional circumstances existed.