A Keady man has been handed a nine year jail sentence after being found in possession of a handgun, 2.5 kilos of cocaine, a handgun and almost £200k in cash, following a raid on his home in February.
Forty one year old David Agnew of Carbry Heights was convicted of ten charges including possession of cocaine with intent to supply, a handgun, ammunition and two silencers following an intensive three-day trial last month. Agnew did not take to the stand and no witnesses were offered up by the defence during the trial.
The court previously heard how police officers entered Agnew’s house in Keady with a warrant before asking him if there was anything they needed to know about. Mr Agnew replied, “you’ll have to find it”.
During the search, officers found €150,000 in a footstool in the living room as well as approximately £40,000 sterling wrapped in bundles of £1,000 in a bedroom. 2.5kg of cocaine was discovered in the roof space of the property, alongside a handgun, bullets and a silencer.
On Tuesday last, Agnew received a total of nine years imprisonment – half to be served in custody and half to be served on licence.
Detective Inspector Gawley from PSNI’s Organised Crime Unit said he welcomed Agnew’s jail term.
“I hope this acts as a deterrent and sends a clear message that we will continue to aggressively and proactively pursue those who are intent on damaging our communities by supplying illegal drugs,” said DI Gawley.
“I am pleased that we have prevented a significant amount of cocaine from being supplied within our communities and that a dangerous weapon has been taken off the streets.
“Drug dealers set out to make money for their own personal gain and do not care about the damage caused to their local communities.
“I would ask anyone who has any information about the use of illegal drugs to contact police on the non-emergency number 101.”