A man who was taught by US First Lady Jill Biden and who was caught with €330,000 worth of ketamine in his suitcase at Dublin Airport has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Jonathan Diggins (47), of San Francisco, USA, was arrested when he travelled back to Ireland to search for the suitcase which contained the drugs, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Diggins had been travelling from Brussels to San Francisco via Dublin last October when his suitcase missed the connecting flight while he was travelling on to the States.
US clearance officers in Dublin Airport found a false bottom in the suitcase, which contained seven packs of ketamine with a street value of €330,000, Jane Horgan-Jones BL, prosecuting, told the court.
The court heard that Diggins was arrested at Dublin Airport a few weeks later when he returned to Ireland to look for his lost suitcase.
He pleaded guilty to one count of importing drugs at Dublin Airport on November 6th, 2023. He has no previous convictions.
Sentencing him on Wednesday, Judge Orla Crowe said the importation of drugs is a “significant and serious matter”.
She said the aggravating factors include the value of the drugs and that Diggins returned to Ireland to retrieve the suitcase.
Judge Crowe said Diggins had involved himself in an activity which was “nefarious in nature”, and he had imported drugs into Ireland, even if this wasn't his intention.
The judge said she had taken into account the mitigating features and his personal circumstances, noting that testimonials speak of a “decent man and a devoted father.”
She said the court would give Diggins extra credit for being a non-national who is facing difficulties in maintaining contact with family due to time zone differences and the long distance.
She handed Diggins a sentence of three and a half years, backdated to November 28th 2023 when he went into custody.
James Dwyer SC, defending, said that his client had no intention of importing the drugs to Ireland; they were simply in transit from Belgium to the States. However, he said his client pleaded guilty to the charge despite this and cooperated fully with the investigation.
He said Diggins was originally from Wilmington, Delaware and was taught by the current US First Lady, Jill Biden, when he was a child. He has two children and missed his oldest child's graduation from high school while in custody over here.
Defence counsel noted it was not a sophisticated operation and his decision to travel back to Ireland was “either stupidity or ignorance.”
A number of testimonials were handed to the court praising Diggins as a good father.
