A MAINTENANCE BUSINESS owner, his brother and a third man were caught red-handed in a suburban bedroom “cocaine bulking factory” in Dublin, a court has heard.

Gavin Fitzpatrick, 32, and Barry Fitzpatrick, 23, of Cooleven, Ballybrack, and 36-year-old Kyle Kelly, who has given an address at Loreto Avenue, Rathfarnham, both in south Dublin, were charged over a seizure of €35,000 worth of cocaine.

They were arrested on Saturday following a search operation by gardaí from the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT).

They appeared today before Judge Peter White at Dublin District Court, charged with possessing cocaine for sale or supply and having illegal drugs worth at least €13,000, contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Dublin Castle-based DCRT members Garda Seán Purcell, John Hynes and Shauna Ferncombe opposed bail, citing the seriousness of the case and flight risk concerns.

They alleged the trio were arrested red-handed in Gavin Fitzpatrick’s bedroom at his family home.

Each officer told Judge White that on entering the room, they found them with half a kilo of cocaine.

It was alleged that the men had a blender for mixing and a custom-made cocaine press to cut the drugs into smaller blocks.

They recovered a bag and claimed that a matching bag containing cocaine was found in Gavin Fitzpatrick’s pocket. There was also a mixing agent used for bulking the cocaine.

It was alleged that when gardaí entered, the younger brother, Barry, had a large bag of cocaine in his hand, which he attempted to discard.

Each officer described the scene as a “cocaine bulking factory”, and the officers suspected they were selling the drug on a wholesale basis.

A phone was also seized, the bail hearing was told.

It was alleged that Gavin Fitzpatrick, who told the garda he runs a maintenance business, had ties to Spain.

However, defence counsel Kevin McCrave said his three clients were applying for bail and stressed the court had to consider not just the possibility but the probability of them being flight risks.

There was no evidence of that, of their failure to appear in court, or of the existence of bench warrants, he argued.

Pleading for bail, he submitted that all three had the presumption of innocence and could face 18 months in custody until their Circuit Court trial if denied bail. Furthermore, counsel pointed out that the seized substance needed to be forensically analysed first.

He also emphasised that his clients, who have yet to enter pleas, would abide by strict conditions.

He also challenged the evidence, claiming that Gavin Fitzpatrick had links to Spain and that it was not uncommon for people to spend time there for various reasons, such as golf trips.

Judge White noted the seriousness of the case but granted bail with strict terms to each man, who must remain contactable by phone, surrender passports and sign on daily at their local Garda station.

The Fitzpatricks each had cash bail set at €700, and both require €3,000 independent sureties, with a two-thirds lodgement.

The court heard that Mr Kelly gave no address to gardaí but could reside with his partner, and the judge noted that he did not have the same supports as his co-defendants.

His bail was dropped to €500, with a €2,000 surety, of which €1,500 was to be lodged.

They were remanded in custody with consent to those terms and will appear at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday. Legal aid was granted.