A 36-year-old Dubliner claiming he had €65 to his name told a court he was a “millionaire for four seconds” when gardaí carried out a controlled delivery of cocaine worth €1.5 million at his home.
David Wheelock, of Kevin Barry House, Coleraine Street, Dublin 7, was arrested after accepting a package at his home on Tuesday and charged with possessing drugs for sale or supply.
He appeared before Judge Michele Finan at Dublin District Court on Wednesday, who remanded him in custody with consent to bail in his own bond of €200 with a €10,000 independent surety to be approved.
Solicitors have withdrawn their services in response to legal aid payment reforms introduced in July, resulting in widespread disruption to the criminal justice system. Wheelock was therefore unrepresented in court, but when asked whether he still wished to apply for bail against Garda objections, he told Finan: “I’ll give it a bash.”
He maintained that the package was sent to his home and had his name on it, but that he was innocent, adding, “And I want to get to the bottom of this. Someone has done this to our home”.
The judge cautioned the accused against self-incrimination and stressed he still enjoyed the presumption of innocence. “I am innocent,” Wheelock told the judge.
Wheelock was told he could ask for clarification on any procedural point, would have the opportunity to cross-examine, and that the hearing was solely to determine bail.
Garda Alan Kelly feared the accused would evade justice and cited the seriousness of the case.
The court heard that at 11.20am on Tuesday, gardaí entered Wheelock’s flat with a search warrant “following a controlled delivery”.
They later found the consignment, silver-coloured bricks of cocaine, with a total weight of 15kg.
Wheelock disputed the assertions that he would leave the jurisdiction, saying he had children in Ireland and could not find his passport, which he had lost.
He said he had separated from his partner and began living at his father’s flat, where he was arrested.
He said he would abide by any conditions the court imposed.
“The Garda delivered the package and handed it to me. And then five seconds later they came into the house and found the package. I have €65 in my pocket, but for four seconds I was a millionaire, apparently,” he claimed.
Pleading to be released, he spoke about how his family life would be destroyed if he were denied bail, and detailed how had already suffered injuries in a workplace fall.
Cross-examined by the garda, he agreed the one-bedroom flat was his father’s and explained he had moved there after a break-up.
When asked whether he genuinely lived there, he said gardaí could check with the neighbours, local CCTV and the corner shop, because he goes there every day.
Finan agreed that bail could be imposed with various conditions, including residing at an alternative address, signing in daily at his local Garda station, and surrendering his passport.
She also told Wheelock she was imposing a curfew.
He was in favour of this, explaining that he goes to bed at 10pm, and added: “I’m actually a very boring person.”
The curfew was set for 10pm-7am. Wheelock was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on October 28th, pending approval of his bail person.