CORK'S biggest drug dealer hid cannabis resin on waste ground behind his home, Cork Circuit Criminal Court was told yesterday.
Denis Harrington, of Arderrin Way, The Glen, Cork, known as "Harry Hash", pleaded guilty to four charges of drug dealing in August and September last year.
He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment by Judge A.G. Murphy, who congratulated the Garda surveillance team "who had rooted this weed out of society".
When Harrington was being led to the cells after sentencing a man in the public gallery threw a small package to him, believed to have contained an illegal substance. The package was retrieved by prison officers.
Sgt Dermot O'Mahony said that Harrington had been watched climbing over the wall behind his home on to waste ground, where he hid his deals of cannabis which were of varying sizes.
Harrington had used the 800 yard stretch of waste ground at The Glen as a hiding place for his drugs. He had been seen selling cannabis resin to a number of people on August 18th and September 1st, 7th and 14th last year.
When Harrington was arrested, the amount of cannabis found would have made almost 6,000 cigarettes. As he was being driven to the Garda station in a patrol car he told the arresting officers. "You came too early. You missed it." Sgt O'Mahony said that Harrington was the "biggest open air drug dealer" in Cork and was far better known by his nickname "Harry Hash".
In his defence, the court was told that Harrington had a severe gambling addiction problem and that he got into drug dealing in an attempt to clear his debts.