A father of one, who played soccer for Ireland as a teenager, has been jailed for three years for transporting €115,000 worth of cannabis.
Keith Farrelly of Swans Nest Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having 5.7 kilogrammes of cannabis worth €115,000 on September 9, 2014.
The 40-year-old was stopped by Gardaí at Newlands Cross following a tip-off, where they discovered the drugs in the boot of his car.
Farrelly, who signed for Queens Park Rangers as a teenager, had come under pressure following a gambling debt, the court heard, and believed his daughter was being threatened.
Judge Nolan said he had failed to make the "right decision" and imposed a three-year jail term.