A former crack cocaine addict who requires a life saving lung transplant due to his habit has been given a five year sentence for storing €70,000 of cocaine in order to pay off his “drug debt”.
Alan McBride (42), who has no previous convictions, had been commended in his job in the Department of Foreign Affairs for his work during the 2004 Asian tsunami but will now "pay with his life" for his addiction Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
McBride, of Derry Road, Crumlin pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs in his car and at his home on March 16th, 2007.
Judge Martin Nolan said he found there to be "exceptional circumstances" in this case and imposed a five year sentence but suspended the final three years due to McBride's illness.
Garda Trevor Buckley told the court that gardaí who stopped and searched McBride's car in Crumlin found a bar of cocaine and a subsequent search of his home yielded a further quantity of the drug.
Gda Buckley said McBride admitted responsibility for the drugs which had a total street value of €70,000
Defence counsel Aileen Donnelly SC said McBride required a lung transplant because of the damage caused by smoking crack cocaine. She said he had suffered severely from depression in late 1990s and when offered a smoke of crack cocaine at a party he "fell into an addictive situation for which he is going to pay with his life."
Ms Donnelly said when McBride stopped buying cocaine as his health situation deteriorated he was pressurised into storing cocaine to pay off his debt to drug dealers.
She said McBride, a father of two, had worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and was commended there for his work during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami when he had been answering phones to people worried about their relatives in Asia. He also carried out significant voluntary work in raising money for charity.
Ms Donnelly said there was some medical evidence that McBride's cognitive function had been effected by the drug use also and that dementia may be setting in. She said McBride could not be compared to other offenders his age due to his medical problems and he should be sentenced as someone reaching the end of their life.