15/05/2012

Two-Year Sentence For Woman Convicted Of Cigarette Trading

A woman, described as a small trader at Limerick's Milk Market, has received a two-year jail sentence for the sale of illegal cigarettes.

Carol Collopy of Danesford, Corbally in Limerick pleaded guilty to three charges under the Finance Act relating to offering for sale tobacco products on which excise duty had not been paid.

The retail value of the cigarettes involved was €15,000.

Sentencing her to two years in prison today at Limerick Circuit court Judge Carol Moran said it was a significant and worrying factor that these were repeat offences as she had two previous convictions in 2005 for bringing cigarettes into the State through Shannon airport and evading excise duty.

Ms Collopy, a 51-year-old divorced mother of one, pleaded with the judge not to send her to prison as she had nobody to mind her young daughter.

Following an intervention by Ms Collopys solicitor, Judge Moran put the start of the sentence back to 5pm on Thursday to allow the defendant to make family arrangements for the care of her daughter.

(H)


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