Thomas Corry, 52, with an address Aughrim, Scarriff, Co Clare, was nine months short of 30 years' service with the Irish Prison Service when he was caught attempting to smuggle a bag full of drugs, alcohol, knives, mobile phones, chargers, Bluetooth headsets and razor blades into Limerick Prison last year.

Judge Ray Fullam, at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, sentenced Mr Corry to seven years, with two years suspended, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of drugs and two counts of possession of drugs with intent for sale or supply at Roxboro Road, Limerick, on March 16, 2008.

The drugs included quantities of cannabis resin, cocaine and prescription drugs alprazolam and diazepam.

He was arrested by gardai at a checkpoint near the prison after they recovered the bag from the front seat of his car. He had been on his way to work when gardai set up a checkpoint on foot of confidential information.

Garda Monica O'Reilly told the court that inside the bag gardai found cannabis resin worth €900; cocaine worth €644; 365 alprazolam tablets; 144 diazepam tablets; 31 mobile phones, 34 chargers; seven SIM cards; 22 Bluetooth headsets; a 7-up bottle containing two litres of alcohol; 94 sets of razor blades; four batteries; four earphones; two penknives and a screwdriver.

He received €400 to smuggle the contraband into the prison after meeting someone on the Park Road who put the bag into the car.
He admitted smuggling phones and drugs into the prison for five years, and said he did it three or four times a year and received between €50 and €100 each time.

He said he befriended inmates after he had difficulties in his relationships with colleagues and supervisors.

The court was told that Mr Corry had identified flaws in the jail's security system that allowed him to smuggle in the contraband, however, these flaws were not disclosed in court.

A former president of Scarriff Rugby Football Club, John O'Sullivan, for the prosecution, said that Mr Corry did not enjoy good relations with his colleagues and instead befriended some inmates.

The married father of three said he felt under threat to continue smuggling and was in fear of some of the gangland criminals inside the Mulgrave Street jail.

"I have seen what they had done to their own lads. They would take somebody out and kill them in front of your eyes and not think a thought", he told gardai. "It's easier to pull with them (the inmates] than against them."

Passing sentence, Judge Fullam said it amounted to "a callous breach of trust" for a person employed by the State to commit such a crime.