Andrew Noonan. irishphotodesk.ie
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Lawyers for Andrew Noonan argued that evidence suggesting he was a “sophisticated importer of drugs” prejudiced the jury that convicted him last year.
A FORMER FOOTBALL manager and League of Ireland player has claimed that evidence suggesting he was a ‘sophisticated importer of drugs’ prejudiced the jury that convicted him for his role in a €2.769 million heroin smuggling enterprise.
Andrew Noonan (47), former manager of Bluebell United, was caught after gardaí posed as delivery men in a controlled delivery of the drugs to his co-accused Keith Quinn (37).
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that gardaí believe Noonan had a supervisory role in relation to Quinn and say Noonan’s level in the overall context of the enterprise was “high.”
Quinn pleaded guilty in relation to his own role and received a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, with the final three and a half years suspended, in 2021.
This was later increased by the Court of Appeal to eight years imprisonment with 18 months suspended. He has since been released.
Quinn, also a former professional footballer, of Monastery Gate Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin, gave defence evidence during Noonan’s trial that Noonan had no responsibility for the drugs. He said he had lied to Noonan about the parcel contents when he asked to use the office for storage.
Noonan, of Redhills Park, Ellistown, Co Kildare was convicted in May 2025 following a trial of three offences in relation to the possession, sale and supply of the drugs at Rosemount Business Park, Dublin 11, on 5 August 2020.
He was also convicted of possession of a phone with an encrypted application, Enigma, giving rise to a reasonable inference that it was to be used in connection with a drug trafficking offence. He was acquitted of possession of a signal blocker.
Noonan denied any role in relation to the drugs and said he was facilitating a friend in relation to storage of equipment for a sick child.
Noonan has prior convictions for road traffic offences, unauthorised possession of a firearm and possession of an air rifle in suspicious circumstances over 25 years ago.
Jailing Noonan for 13 and a half years, Judge Elma Sheahan said foremost in the court’s mind in sentencing was the devastating harm caused by the drugs trade which the court deals with on a daily basis. She said the value and quantity of the seizure were also critical factors.
Judge Sheahan said at the time of this offending, Noonan was the manager of a soccer team and was employed in a family business. She said he was in a position of trust and influence over young men.
She said Noonan actively engaged in this project and was committed to its success, motivated by financial gain.
The judge noted in Quinn’s case that his role was a “cog” in the operation and that he was motivated by financial difficulty and fear. She said the court’s view was that Noonan’s role was one significantly higher on the ladder than Quinn.
‘Prejudicial error’
A large number of family members and supporters were present in court for Noonan’s appeal hearing today.
Mark Lynam SC, representing Noonan, argued the judge made an error in admitting evidence gleaned from mobile phones, which he described as “prejudicial”.
The analysis of Noonan’s phone revealed various email addresses making inquiries of distribution and logistics companies about shipping from Spain and Holland.
Lynam contended this email evidence should not have been put before the jury.
He said the emails included an exchange between Noonan – using an alias – and Keith Quinn suggesting the transport of beauty products from Spain to Quinn’s place of work.
When interviewed, Noonan said these emails arose from his role as a “secret shopper”. He said some of the emails also referred to a shipment of tobacco.
Lynam said the defence case was that these exchanges were innocent and weren’t linked to “anything sinister” or any “nefarious importation” but rather that Noonan was someone who had “many irons in the fire” and was “entrepreneurial”.
He said the prosecution wanted to put “the worst spin on everything” using “disparate information to suggest he is a sophisticated importer” and this “infected” other aspects of the case.
During the trial, a member of An Garda Síochána gave opinion evidence that references in the text messages to “match balls” and “boots” were prearranged terms or code for different amounts of drugs.
Lynam argued the garda should not have been allowed to give this opinion evidence.
“He’s not allowed to express an opinion on something so central in this case,” said counsel. “That’s what it boils down to.”
Lynam also suggested the judge was wrong not to direct a verdict of “not guilty” in respect of the charge related to the encrypted Enigma app on Noonan’s phone because the app hadn’t been used in five months.
He said there was evidence to show that Noonan and his co-accused Keith Quinn didn’t use this app and communicated through other means.
Lynam also suggested that Quinn should not have been required to continue giving evidence after it became apparent he was “no longer fit to do so”.
‘Gaffer’
In response, John Berry SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), said the email and other communication material was introduced to show Noonan had used false names, had lied in garda interviews, had access to devices he said he didn’t have access to, and to show “he was attempting to erect a smokescreen between him and the truth”.
Berry said the interactions between Noonan and Quinn showed the strength of the prosecution case in respect of “the real evidence that it was capable of deploying”.
He said during garda interviews, Noonan had made “a profound statement of innocence”, but the phone communication showed Noonan was “intimately involved” with this drugs delivery.
Berry submitted the guard who gave evidence had experience in combatting drug related activities and was well-placed to give his evidence. He said the weight to be attached to the guard’s opinion was a matter for the jury.
Counsel noted Noonan has said in interview that he had never used the Enigma app, but his device showed that it was docked as “one of the regularly available to use apps”.
He said in addition, the appellant accepted when interviewed that he used a handle “Gaffer” in WhatsApp and files in the Enigma app bore the name “Gaffer79”. He said these were matters for the jury to consider.
In relation to Keith Quinn’s evidence, Berry said after Quinn became unwell, he returned to give evidence following the Easter break and was treated with a commendable “degree of care” and was given “every accommodation possible”.
Noonan’s sentencing hearing was told that in August 2020, British police became suspicious of a package travelling through the UK. It was analysed and tested positive for heroin.
A garda operation involving a controlled delivery was put in place and the package was delivered to Quinn’s workplace in the Dublin industrial estate by a garda posing as a UPS driver.
Internal CCTV of the workplace showed Quinn taking out his phone and interacting with the package in what was later found to be a picture and text messages sent to Noonan. No suspicion attaches to Quinn’s former workplace.
Quinn placed the package in his car and was observed driving in convoy with another car, driven by Noonan, to another office in the estate. Quinn got out, placed the package in the office and then drove in convoy with Noonan to a coffee shop, where gardaí intercepted them.
One of three phones seized from Noonan’s person was found to have the UPS unique tracking code for the package and had checked its location 27 times in the previous days.
The court heard that Noonan had previously been a League of Ireland player and a manager as well as club secretary of Bluebell United. Prior to the trial, Noonan had been employed for the previous eight years with a transport company.