Drug haul in garda ‘sting’ operation in Kilkenny City

The canister, part of an industrial part posted from Canada, was subject of a ‘controlled delivery’ by gardaí which led them to the defendant.

Before the court was Bartlomiej Waryszak, Acorn Lodge, Derreen, Durrow, Laois. He pleaded guilty to a charge of having drugs for sale or supply, contrary to Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act. A charge of using false identification papers was taken into consideration.

Garda Denis Maher gave evidence that the Revenue and Customs Service brought to the attention of the Kilkenny Garda Drugs Unit that they had intercepted a package addressed to an industrial address in Kilkenny.

The package contained drugs.

As a result of this information, gardaí put in place a controlled delivery operation in conjunction with customs and the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. A search warrant was obtained.

On March 3, 2025, gardaí carried out the controlled delivery to an industrial address in Hebron Business Park.

A cardboard box was addressed to a ‘Kita Yan,’ giving the Eircode of the Kilkenny business and listing a contact mobile phone number for the recipient on the package.

An invoice in the package described the contents as a water heater, valued at €50.

An undercover garda posing as a delivery person went into the reception of the business and asked for ‘Kita Yan.’ He was told that person was not there.

The garda then rang the contact number on the package, twice, but there was no answer.

A short time later a call was received back from the number from an individual who was described as having ‘an Eastern European accent.’

This person told the garda the package should be delivered to the company and to ask for someone called ‘Bart’ who would take it. The garda met this person who signed the delivery docket and took the package.

Inside the package was something that looked like a water heater, the garda told the court. Inside the item was a metal cylinder that had to be opened using an angle grinder. Inside were discovered packets of cannabis herb valued at €33,692.

Mr Waryszak was arrested at the industrial unit.

The company clarified he worked there as a store manager. It is a legitimate business and there is no suggestion that this had anything to do with the company, which was fully co-operative with the garda investigation.

Two phones were taken off Mr Waryszak. Concealed in the cover of one phone, which he said was his personal phone, was a Polish ID card in the name of ‘Kita Yan.’ This was a false ID but the picture was of Mr Waryszak.

Gardaí subsequently searched other locations at the industrial premises, including an outbuilding in the yard to which Mr Waryszak had access.

Another mobile phone was found here. Mr Waryszak was seen on CCTV using this phone at the time when gardaí received the call from the package contact.

It was the phone whose number was on the package.

Mr Waryszak was taken to Kilkenny Garda Station and a warrant was issued to search his home. There gardaí found a small quantity of amphetamine (€150) and cannabis (€100). He said these were for his own use.

Gardaí found various vacuum type bags which contained trace elements of drugs.

In the search of the premises gardaí also found eight single-phase pumps, valued at €3,444, and an ‘impeller’ worth €500. All the property of the company where Mr Waryszak worked. He originally claimed he had bought them but this proved not to be the case and he did not have permission to have these items.

The man’s legitimate ID was discovered at this location.

The defendant was interviewed four times by gardaí. He identified himself and answered some questions but did not make admissions.

Mr Waryszak did tell gardaí he had a drug addiction and had a loan of €10,000 he was trying to pay back.

The cannabis discovered in the package was analysed by Forensic Science Ireland. It weighed 1684.6g and valued at €33,692.

The garda investigation did not find that Mr Waryszak had any significant assets.

In his job as stock room manager at the company in Hebron part of Mr Waryszak’s job had been to accept legitimate packages.

The court was told Mr Waryszak had four previous convictions - one for drug possession, one for theft and road traffic matters.

Aidan Doyle BL, for Mr Waryszak, said his client had lived in Ireland for more than 18 years and had a good work history. He has taken up a new job since this incident.

Letters and references in support of the defendant were handed in to court.

Dylan Redmond BL, for the State, outlined that the maximum penalty for a Section 15A offence is life imprisonment, and minimum sentence 10 years.

Mr Doyle said some of the drugs in the delivery were for his client’s personal use. Mr Waryszak had a “significant” habit and had attended the HSE substance abuse service. He is making significant efforts to come to grips with his drug problem.

Summarising a Probation Report on his client, Mr Doyle said he had shown remorse and an awareness of the harm drugs can cause in society. He said it was broadly a positive report.

In mitigation, Mr Doyle said his client cooperated to a point and entered a guilty plea. He is very involved with his family and spends time with his two daughters every weekend bringing them to sports.

Mr Doyle said there was some, limited, mitigation in that the drug involved was cannabis and “not one of the stronger Class A drugs.”

He added that the amount of drugs found was not at the upper end of the scale for ‘drug trafficking.’

Judge Sinéad McMullen adjourned the matter to consider her judgement. The case was put back to the next sittings of Kilkenny Circuit Court, in July.

Mr Waryszak was granted bail to that date but he was warned by the judge he is facing a custodial sentence on that day and the bail was not to give him false hope.