A man who lost €40,000 (£36,256) worth of cocaine phoned the police station to report it missing, Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Darren Barnwell, 20, from Dublin, was travelling to Cork by train with the package two years ago.
He panicked when he got off the train on 16 August 2018 when he realised that he didn’t have the cocaine on him anymore.
When he realised he tried to get back on to the train to look for his property, but security staff wouldn’t let him.
He then got into an argument with the staff at Kent Station, becoming agitated as he tried to relocate the missing stash.
At the trial, the court heard the Mr Barnwell became angry with the security staff at the station at about 2pm.
Det Sgt Kieran O’Sullivan said that a person – believed to be Barnwell, then called the local police to report his bag as lost property.
He remembered going to a shop on MacCurtain Street and went back to try to locate his bag.
It was in the shop and had been found by staff, who hadn’t looked at what was inside.
Sgt O’Sullivan explained that gardaí found a panicked Mr Barnwell outside the shop and stopped him.
They opened the paper bag and discovered a large amount of cocaine, which they estimated to be worth €40,000 (£36,256).
When he was apprehended by the police, he admitted that he had taken the train from Dublin with the cocaine.
He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply to others on the same day.
Barnwell has no other previous criminal convictions and on the date it happened he was working for another individual, working as a courier.
Sgt O’Sullivan also said that since the incident, Barnwell had not come to the attention of the police.
Sentencing, Judge Sean O’Donnabhain described the case as ‘an unusual crime’.
He added: “I am justified in imposing a fully suspended sentence. It is exceptional that he has no previous convictions or come to Garda attention since.”
Barnwell was given a sentence of four years, which is entirely suspended on certain conditions, including keeping the peace and being of good behaviour for the four year period.
