A Derrynoose man has been handed a six-year sentenced after police uncovered a £12m cocaine shipment hidden inside blocks of frozen meat at Flurrybridge Business Park in Jonesborough.
Ciaran McBride (41), of Listrakelt Road, appeared before His Honour Judge Paul Ramsey KC at Newry Crown Court on Friday, where he was sentenced for possessing Class A drugs – cocaine – with intent to supply.
Judge Ramsey, outlining the facts, said police went to Flurrybridge Business Park on December 11, 2023, where they saw a small maroon vehicle pulling away from a Dutch‑registered refrigerated lorry which had been reversed down the side of a unit with “no obvious connection” to any business there.
Two loads of frozen minced pork appeared to have been transferred from the Dutch lorry into the smaller vehicle.
Officers spoke to the Dutch driver and examined his delivery schedule. The Flurrybridge stop appeared to be the final drop on a route that had begun in Birmingham, come through Holyhead on Irish Ferries, completed several deliveries in the Republic, and then made two seemingly legitimate drops in Northern Ireland before arriving at Jonesborough.
Police then spoke to the driver of the maroon vehicle – McBride – who said he had been paid €100 “to move the contents of the lorry”, which he described as meat, “to the other side of the Enterprise Centre”. He was unable to produce any paperwork for the load. The refrigeration unit on the lorry was not switched on or plugged in.
McBride was arrested and the lorry seized.
Inside were two large containers of frozen minced pork that were not sealed. Because of the suspicious circumstances, officers carried out a detailed search under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
They discovered 100 blocks of suspected cocaine concealed in a “sophisticated hide” within the meat. A thin layer of pork covered a heavy lid; beneath that was a concrete‑lined interior designed, the court heard, to defeat X‑rays and other detection methods.
Subsequent testing showed the shipment contained 118kg of cocaine at between 70% to 82% purity. The estimated wholesale value was around £6 million, with a street value of approximately £12 million.
A further delivery docket was later found at McBride’s home, and forensic analysis identified his DNA on bolts securing the lid of one of the containers holding the drugs.
McBride was re-arraigned on November 11, 2025 and pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply. Judge Ramsey said he was sentenced on an agreed basis of plea, which he read into the record.
On that basis, McBride accepted that: He agreed to transfer a load a short distance on a single day – December 11, 2023; He knew he was being asked to move a consignment of illegal drugs, but not the specific quantity or purity; He understood the quantity was “sizeable” but had no role in organising the delivery and would receive only a day’s pay, with no share in any onward profits; and that he had no relevant previous convictions.
The prosecution accepted that the financial paperwork found did not form part of the plea or sentencing exercise.
A pre‑sentence report set out that McBride, originally from Derrynoose, had a “contented” upbringing and large family, and was living with his wife in the Armagh area at the time. The couple – who have no children – have since separated because of the offence, and he is now in a new relationship.
He left St Patrick’s High School, Keady at 16 with several GCSEs, worked in construction and plumbing, then obtained an HGV licence and drove lorries for eight years. After a fatal road traffic collision in 2016, he and his brother started a construction firm, which later closed during the Covid pandemic. He is currently employed as a foreperson.
The court heard he had been diagnosed with PTSD after the 2016 crash and received counselling. The sudden death of a brother in a diving incident in Egypt in 2021 had a “profound impact” on the family and further affected his mental health. In 2023 he suffered a stroke, which limited his work and for which he is on ongoing medication, including for high blood pressure.
Reports from a consultant psychologist and a neuropsychologist were provided. Judge Ramsey said the medical opinion was that the stroke, occurring less than two months before the offending, “may have played some part” in his ability to control his thinking and decision‑making, and that he needed to engage with addiction and drug‑awareness services.
The judge noted that the probation report assessed McBride as a high likelihood of reoffending but said that assessment had been made without sight of the agreed basis of plea and was “not necessarily” persuasive. He said he did, however, take on board the wider personal background.
Judge Ramsey said this was clearly a “very, very large quantity” of cocaine in a “sophisticated” commercial operation with significant concealment designed to avoid detection.
The prosecution highlighted the extremely high quantity and value of the drugs and the commercial and organised nature of the operation. They also noted the level of concealment within the frozen meat and attempts to evade law‑enforcement scrutiny.
Mitigating factors included McBride’s guilty plea, his lack of previous record and the personal difficulties – PTSD, bereavement and stroke – outlined to the court.
While prosecutors had argued for “high culpability”, the defence contended his culpability was at the lowest level. Judge Ramsey said the reality lay “somewhere between the two”.
“I certainly don’t accept that it’s low culpability, but I don’t think it’s the very highest,” he said.
Telling McBride the custody threshold was “clearly” crossed, Judge Ramsey said that, given the features of the case, a notional starting point would be around 10 years’ imprisonment.
Taking into account his mental‑health and personal circumstances, he adopted a lower starting point of nine years.
He then gave McBride full credit for his guilty plea, reducing the sentence to six years in total – three years in custody and three years on licence.
An order was made for the destruction of the drugs.
Judge Ramsey also imposed a two‑year driving disqualification on the count, noting that this was the statutory minimum in the circumstances.
McBride was led from the dock to begin his prison term.
