A RETIRED garda superintendent jailed for possessing cannabis worth over a quarter of a million euros was in "very significant debt", a court has heard.
John Murphy, from Clontarf, Dublin, was arrested after the drugs were found in his home and vehicle in September of last year.
The 62-year-old was sentenced to six and a half years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to possessing a quantity of the drug worth almost €260,000.
The sentence was backdated to October 2021 when he entered custody.
He was captured on CCTV footage at an industrial estate collecting the bags containing the drug that were later found at his property.
It was estimated the drugs weighed almost 13kg.
A defence lawyer said his client owed more than €850,000 at the time of the offending.
The court heard Murphy admitted owning the cannabis and apologised for the distress caused to his family, while also apologising to An Garda Síochána.
It was revealed his father was a senior garda while his brother is a serving officer.
His lawyer said his family were "disgusted" by Murphy's offending, but were continuing to support him.
Judge Martin Nolan said it appeared Murphy had been holding the cannabis for someone else in order to receive a financial reward, adding that the defendant knew what criminal behaviour was due to his previous employment.
The judge added that Murphy's guilty plea meant he would reduce his prison term from the mandatory minimum of 10 years to six and a half years.