Man passes out after internally smuggling €5k drugs to Limerick prison

A MAN who tried to smuggle a quarter kilo of drugs into Limerick Prison inside his body and later became unresponsive is to be sentenced at the Circuit Court.

Published 12th Jun 2026, 20:00 BST Updated 15th Jun 2026, 09:41 BST Darren Keogh, 46, attempted to supply internally concealed drugs into Limerick prison | Local Library A MAN who tried to smuggle a quarter kilo of drugs into Limerick Prison inside his body and later became unresponsive is to be sentenced at the Circuit Court. Sign up to our Limerick Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Limerick Live within your account.

Darren Keogh, 46, with an address at Valley View, O'Malley Park, Limerick, has pleaded guilty to five counts of supplying controlled drugs to a prison, contrary to section 83 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

Limerick Circuit Court heard that Mr Keogh was granted temporary release from prison for three days on compassionate grounds following the death of his mother in 2020.

When Mr Keogh presented himself back to prison on November 9, 2020, he was searched by prison staff, and a concealed package was found on his person.

Prosecuting Barrister for the State, John O’Sullivan, detailed to the court during a sentencing hearing that Mr Keogh then became unresponsive.

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Mr Keogh was conveyed to University Hospital Limerick. An X-ray of the man revealed a separate large package was concealed internally inside him.

The package contained 275 grams of drugs, and forensic analysis of the contents revealed it to contain heroin, cocaine, cannabis, tablets and cannabis resin. The court heard that the drugs had an estimated street value of €5,212. Mr Keogh was then later arrested at John Carew Park.

Mr Keogh has a number of previous convictions - including a section three assault which he was serving a prison sentence for when he attempted to smuggle the drugs into prison.

Mr Keogh also has previous convictions for the possession of drugs, a theft, a robbery, and a public order offence.

Barrister Aaron Desmond, representing Mr Keogh, said he was a very vulnerable man at the time of the offence, and was dealing with the loss of his mother at the time.

Mr Desmond said that Mr Keogh almost lost his life from the incident.

“Mr Keogh has no clear recollection of those events due to poor mental health.”

“He would not have engaged in this behaviour if he had been in his right mind,” the barrister said.

Mr Desmond said that Mr Keogh has not come to any adverse attention in the interim since his release from prison, and that he is most apologetic for his offending behaviour.

The barrister said Mr Keogh has attended all probation appointments that were available to him, and has engaged with the Probation Service.

He described Mr Keogh as a family man, who has two children he is actively involved with. The court heard one of Mr Keogh’s children is currently undertaking the Leaving Certificate exams.

Mr Desmond asked Judge Colin Daly to be as pragmatic and as lenient as possible.

The judge proceeded to adjourn his sentencing of Mr Keogh until the Leaving Certificate is completed.

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