Adrian Leszczynski: €978,300 cocaine load and six years
A Ford Focus rolled off the Cherbourg ferry at Dublin Port with 13.9 kilograms of cocaine concealed in its boot and a tracker fixed to the car. British driver Adrian Leszczynski told customs he was being paid to deliver the vehicle from Spain. The court found his transport role was both significant and vital.
The car off the ferry
On 25 August 2025, Revenue officers stopped a Ford Focus after it disembarked from a ferry from Cherbourg. Leszczynski, then 25 and of Sinfin in Derby, was driving. His friend Philip Clarke was in the front passenger seat. Both men told customs they had nothing to declare.
A search exposed a concealed compartment in the boot. Inside were 13.9 kilograms of cocaine, valued in court at approximately €978,300. Officers also found a tracking device on the car, evidence consistent with other people monitoring the load.
The paid delivery
Leszczynski told investigators that he had met a man called “Paddy” in a Spanish pub and agreed to drive the car from Spain to Ireland. He said he received €500 for expenses and expected a further payment of between €1,200 and €1,500.
He denied knowing that cocaine was hidden in the vehicle, but admitted the arrangement appeared suspicious and accepted responsibility for the car’s contents. The investigating Garda agreed that he cooperated in interview and took responsibility for the drugs. Clarke gave a broadly similar account, said he was merely accompanying his friend on holiday and denied knowing about the load.
Guilty pleas and sentence
Leszczynski and Clarke both pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Dublin Port. They had no previous convictions and had remained in custody since their arrest. The defence said they had no connections to Ireland and had been used by others as transporters rather than receiving the ultimate benefit from the drugs.
Judge Elma Sheahan said moving such a large quantity of cocaine gave the men a “significant and vital role” in the trade, even though they were not significant players and displayed none of its trappings of wealth. The amount and nature of the drug aggravated the offence. Their early guilty pleas, remorse, previous good character and subordinate position allowed the court to depart from the presumptive ten-year minimum.
On 20 May 2026, the judge imposed seven years on each man and suspended the final 12 months. The effective custodial term was therefore six years. The suspension was conditioned on each man leaving Ireland within four days of release and not returning for ten years.
Nationality and status: what is actually established
The sentencing report describes both defendants as British men and gives Leszczynski’s address as Sinfin, Derby. It records that he arrived through Dublin Port on the day of the offence, had no connections to this State and intended to return to the United Kingdom after custody.
The available reports do not establish illegal entry, an asylum application, Irish residence or a fuller immigration history. The court’s leave-and-non-return condition is part of the suspended sentence; the sources reviewed do not describe it as a deportation order, and this file does not convert it into one.
Chronology
- Before 25 August 2025: Leszczynski says he meets “Paddy” in Spain, receives €500 in expenses and agrees to deliver the car to Ireland for a further fee.
- 25 August 2025: Revenue officers stop the Ford Focus at Dublin Port and recover 13.9kg of cocaine from a hidden boot compartment; Leszczynski and Clarke are arrested.
- 27 August 2025: Gardaí announce that both men have been charged and are due before the Criminal Courts of Justice.
- Before May 2026: both enter guilty pleas to possession of cocaine for sale or supply and remain in custody.
- 20 May 2026: Dublin Circuit Criminal Court imposes seven years with the final year suspended, leaving six years in custody.
Public-cost benchmark
Six nominal custodial years at the Irish Prison Service’s 2024 average annual cost of an available, staffed prison space, €99,072, produces a gross benchmark of approximately €594,432 for Leszczynski alone.
This is arithmetic, not a Leszczynski-specific invoice. Actual public expenditure depends on sentence commencement, remission, release arrangements and changing annual costs. The figure excludes the Revenue interception, Garda investigation, prosecution, court and any legal-aid costs. The cocaine’s estimated €978,300 market value is not taxpayer expenditure and is not added to the benchmark.
Sources
- BreakingNews.ie / PA court report, 20 May 2026 — principal source for names, pleas, evidence, judicial findings and sentences.
- An Garda Síochána, 27 August 2025 — official arrest, seizure and charge announcement.
- Revenue, 27 August 2025 — official record of the port operation, approximate weight and estimated value.
- Irish Prison Service Annual Report 2024 — public-cost benchmark.
- Irish Sun syndicated report, May 2026 — secondary summary of the conviction and sentence.
- Western People topic listing, May 2026 — syndicated listing of the sentencing report.
- Daily News Now podcast summary, 21 May 2026 — summary source only.
Record checked: 31 July 2026. No published conviction appeal was located.