Dublin man who ‘should have known better’ jailed for holding €94,500 of drugs, ammunition

A Dublin man who “should have known better” has been jailed for four years for holding €94,500 of heroin and ammunition to offset a drug debt.

Gardaí with confidential information searched the home of Stephen Lawlor (26) and discovered the cache.

Lawlor, a father of two from Ard Mor Court, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possessing 630g of heroin on January 7th, 2014. He has 16 previous convictions for minor road traffic convictions.

Garda Robert Whitty told Marie Torrens BL, prosecuting, that he and colleagues also found several deals of cocaine and shotgun cartridges at the premises.

Lawlor claimed he was holding the drugs and ammunition to help pay off a €10,000 cocaine debt.

Garda Whitty agreed with Giollaiosa Ó Lideadha SC, defending, that Lawlor had not come to adverse attention since the incident and had been in fear of third parties at the time.

Mr Ó Lideadha submitted that his client had a history of depression and asked Judge Martin Nolan not to impose a custodial sentence.

Judge Nolan accepted that Lawlor had been a victim of criminals, but said he “should have known better”.