Padraic Grennan was asleep on a couch in an apartment in Drogheda in February 2005 when local gardai raided the premises after receiving intelligence that drugs were being held there.

Grennan, who was based at Malahide garda station, had spent the previous night in the apartment at Dyer Street after playing a gig in the town.

The 31-year-old is the founder of Blood Sugar, a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band, and was a singer in the group. The band had played a gig to raise funds for survivors of the Asian tsunami at a local nightclub and Grennan decided to spend the night with friends locally.

He was woken up by a large garda presence and was later arrested along with another man under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act. Grennan was released from Drogheda garda station without charge, while a 32-year-old man was charged at a special sitting of Ardee District Court.

Although a small amount of illegal drugs was found in his personal possession, there was no suggestion that the ecstasy seizure belonged to the garda or that he knew it was in the apartment.

Around 13,500 ecstasy tablets and a quantity of amphetamines were found during the raid.

The garda had seven years' service at the time of his arrest and was immediately suspended by commissioner Noel Conroy pending the results of a criminal prosecution and an internal garda inquiry.

In May 2005, Grennan, who has an address at Termon Abbey in Drogheda, appeared before judge Flann Brennan at Drogheda District Court where he was charged with the unlawful possession of drugs. The garda was back before the same court on 17 May last, where he was given the benefit of the Probation Act on the drugs charge.

With the criminal case against him concluded, An Garda Siochana began disciplinary proceedings against him and he was officially dismissed from the force two weeks ago. When contacted by the Sunday Tribune, Grennan confirmed he was no longer a garda but declined to comment further.

There has been a big increase in the number of gardai caught in possession of drugs over the last number of years. A garda based at Blanchardstown station is currently suspended after being arrested with cocaine while on a stag weekend in Newcastle recently. In June 2005 a probationer garda was arrested in a nightclub in Co Clare after being found with a small quantity of cocaine.

Any incident involving a garda, either on or off duty, must now be reported to the Garda Ombudsman, who carries out an investigation independent of the gardai.