A Kinahan cartel criminal has been sentenced to six years in prison for supplying drugs shortly after his release from prison.
arry Fowler (37) of Millbrook Lawns, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty to possession of €134,000 worth of cannabis on May 24, 2021.
Detective Garda Declan O’Reilly told the court that Gardai was conducting a surveillance operation when Fowler and a co-defendant were checked in the Tallaght area.
The court heard that the co-defendant had seen something put in the trunk of a car before driving away in a taxi.
Fowler was seen taking keys from the car before Gardai approached him and he tried to throw the keys away before being arrested. The co-defendant was also arrested by Gardai, the court heard. Gardaí searched the car and found 134,000 euros worth of cannabis in a bag.
The court heard the accused say during a garda interview that he was threatened by gangs, but Det Garda O’Reilly told the court that he did not believe the accused in this regard.
Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, in defense, told the court that the accused takes full responsibility for his actions and that his mother has been “heartbroken” since he was taken into custody. The suspect has attended a conflict resolution course in prison. Letters have been received from friends, family and his employer in defense of the suspect.
Fowler was previously convicted of possession of drugs and a submachine gun and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. The court heard that he had served his sentence shortly before this incident.
He was also sentenced to three years in prison for dangerous driving that killed a teenager in 2005. His sister said in a written statement to the court that Fowler has struggled with cocaine addiction and psychological problems since the accident.
Judge Martin Nolan said his track record of “quite serious convictions” is one of the main aggravating factors. The value of drugs was also taken into account, but Judge Nolan said he believes the accused is moderately to lowly guilty of this plan.
Considered a serious organized criminal with associations deep within the Kinahan mob, Fowler is a longtime friend of gangland heavy Paul Rice.
In March last year, the Sunday World photographed Fowler in a van painted to look like a DHL delivery vehicle and dressed in a uniform, but the company had not hired him and the van, it was discovered, had been mocked and sold by a west Dublin garage.
Fowler is one of the primary targets of the National Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau and has previously been charged with proceedings by the Criminal Assets Bureau.