Ireland Two men refused bail over €2.7m cocaine handover in Coolock, Dublin
Robert Murphy, 36, a Dublin City Council worker, and Anthony Naughton, 40, were refused bail at Dublin District Court on 23 March 2026 after being charged with possessing 38kg of cocaine worth approximately €2.7m for sale or supply in Coolock, Dublin, on 20 March 2026. CCTV footage allegedly showed a handover of drugs between the two men at a container rented by Naughton on Newtown Avenue.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrested20 Mar
3 reports - Charged20 Mar
- In court23 Mar
2 reports - Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports55 statements extracted from the articles
- what38kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of €2,660,000 was seized at a business premises in Coolock. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- what1kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of €70,000 was seized at a residential property in Finglas. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- what1kg of cannabis with a value of €20,000 was seized at a residential property in Finglas. (garda.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- whatTwo males, one in his 20s and one in his 30s, were arrested. (garda.ie)
- whatSuspected cocaine and cannabis worth €2.75 million were seized in Dublin (garda.ie)
- what1kg of cannabis with a value of €20,000 was seized at the Finglas property. (irishmirror.ie)
- whatTwo men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were arrested (dublinlive.ie)
- whatRobert Murphy, 36, has an address at Dunsink Green, Finglas (irishmirror.ie)
- whatAnthony Naughton, 40, has an address on Greek Street, Dublin 7 (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA kilogram of suspected cocaine and a kilogram of suspected cannabis were discovered at Murphy's address (irishmirror.ie)
- whatA further 38 kilograms of cocaine was seized at DG Storage (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMurphy was a trusted operative in the logistics of a gang capable of transporting drugs internationally (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMurphy had no previous convictions and had not come to the attention of An Garda Siochana before (irishmirror.ie)
- whatMurphy had a full-time job with Dublin City Council (irishmirror.ie)
- whatNaughton is a father of four (irishmirror.ie, irishtimes.com)
- whatNaughton said he did not know it was cocaine and thought he was being asked to store money (irishmirror.ie)
- what38kg of cocaine was seized by gardaí (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe container was allegedly rented by Naughton (irishtimes.com)
- whatCCTV footage showed a handover of drugs between Murphy and Naughton (irishtimes.com)
- whatNaughton placed the bags in a box covered with a tile in the container (irishtimes.com)
- whatMurphy was allegedly using disappearing messages in his activities (irishtimes.com)
- whatMurphy is a father of two children (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe offence allegedly enhanced an organised criminal group (irishtimes.com)
- whereTwo properties in the Coolock and Finglas areas of Dublin were searched. (irishmirror.ie)
- whereA follow-up search was conducted at the DG Storage facility in Coolock (irishmirror.ie)
- whereGardaí searched a container at Newtown Avenue (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe seizure took place on Friday 20 March 2026 (garda.ie)
- whenThe searches took place on Friday, 20 March 2026. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe men were charged in Coolock on 20 March 2026 (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe Dublin Crime Response Team searched two properties in the Coolock and Finglas areas of Dublin on 20 March 2026. (garda.ie)
- investigationThe two males are detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. (garda.ie)
- investigationThe seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis. (garda.ie, irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe operation was part of ongoing investigations targeting organised crime under Operation Tara. (garda.ie)
- investigationInvestigations are ongoing (garda.ie)
- investigationThe searches were conducted by the Dublin Crime Response team as part of Operation Tara. (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationTwo properties in the Coolock and Finglas areas of Dublin were searched by the Dublin Crime Response team on Friday, March 20 (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe searches were part of ongoing investigations targeting organised crime under Operation Tara (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationThe two men are detained at stations in the Dublin Metropolitan Region under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 (dublinlive.ie)
- investigationMurphy was arrested at the scene of the search at his address (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationNaughton was arrested at the DG Storage facility (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationCCTV footage captured the handover of cocaine from Murphy to Naughton before transport to the storage facility (irishmirror.ie)
- investigationThe cocaine was seized by the Dublin Crime Response Team (irishtimes.com)
- chargeTwo arrested males were charged (garda.ie)
- chargeMurphy was charged with six offences (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeNaughton was charged with two offences including possession of drugs for sale or supply (irishmirror.ie)
- chargeMurphy has additional charges for possessing cocaine and cannabis at his home address (irishtimes.com)
- courtBoth men are due to appear before Court 4, Criminal Courts of Justice, on 23 March 2026 at 10.30am (garda.ie)
- courtJudge Conor Fottrell refused bail for Murphy (irishmirror.ie)
- courtJudge Fottrell refused bail for Naughton and remanded him in custody to appear again via videolink on Wednesday (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe men appeared at Dublin District Court before Judge Conor Fottrell (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe judge remanded them in custody to appear again on 25 March 2026 (irishtimes.com)
- sentenceThe charge of possession of drugs for sale and supply carries a potential life sentence (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThe case is part of Operation Tara (garda.ie)
- otherTwo men in their 20s and 30s were arrested and detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherOperation Tara is an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by the Garda Commissioner in July 2021. (irishmirror.ie, dublinlive.ie)
The reporting
newest first- 23 Mar2026Two men allegedly caught in ‘handover’ of cocaine worth €2.7m refused bail
Bail hearing details including CCTV evidence of the handover, Naughton's claim he believed the bags contained money, Murphy's additional charges for cocaine and cannabis at his home, and the allegation that the offence enhanced an organised criminal group.
accused, Robert Murphy, 36, male, named, irish (judged from name)Robert Murphyaccused, Anthony Naughton, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Anthony Naughton - 23 Mar2026Two in court over €2.6m Dublin drugs seizure: 'A stupid mistake'
Provides detailed court evidence including CCTV analysis showing the handover of cocaine from Murphy to Naughton, Murphy's role as a trusted logistics operative in an international organised crime group, his use of self-destructing messages, Naughton's claim that he thought he was storing money, and Judge Conor Fottrell's reasoning for refusing bail to both men.
suspect, Robert Murphy, 36, male, named, irish (judged from name)Robert Murphysuspect, Anthony Naughton, 40, male, named, irish (judged from name)Anthony Naughton - 22 Mar2026Gang dealt a blow as €2.75m worth of cocaine seized by Gardai
Initial report of the seizure and arrest, predating the 23 March court appearance; adds details of the Finglas residential property search, the specific street values of the seized drugs, and that the men are detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007.
suspect, 20s, malesuspect, 30s, male - 22 Mar2026Drugs gang dealt a blow as €2.75m worth of cocaine seized by gardai
Reports the initial seizure and arrest, adding details about the follow-up Finglas residential search (1kg cocaine, 1kg cannabis), specific street values for each seizure, and the legal basis for detention (Section 50, Criminal Justice Act 2007).
suspect, 20s, malesuspect, 30s, male - 20 Mar2026Court Appearance Operation Tara: Seizure of €2.75 million worth of Cocaine and Cannabis, Dublin. 20th March, 2026.
Garda press release confirming the two men were charged and due to appear before Court 4, Criminal Courts of Justice, on 23 March 2026. States the seizure was €2.75 million worth of cocaine and cannabis, part of Operation Tara.
suspect, malesuspect, male - 20 Mar2026Operation Tara: Seizure of €2.75 million worth of Cocaine and Cannabis, Dublin, 20th March 2026
Garda press release providing details of the initial seizure and arrest, including the follow-up search in Finglas and the total estimated value of €2.75m.
suspect, 20s, malesuspect, 30s, male