A DUBLIN heroin dealer has been jailed for 20 years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Anthony Felloni (53), of Dominick Street Flats, Dublin, was described in court as "the brains, financier and organiser with the necessary foreign contacts for a major heroin wholesale operation".
Felloni was jailed for 10 years by the same court in 1986 and released in July 1993. He had also received a four-year sentence in Britain in 1981 for drug dealing. He has 26 previous convictions dating from 1959.
Supt Malachy Mulligan told Judge Cyril Kelly that Felloni had "never worked in the normal sense" but made crime his profession. Gardai believed he had gained financially from his activities but did not lead an ostentatious lifestyle. He was a professional criminal and, in recent years, operated at a high level as a heroin wholesaler.
He was married with six children but was separated from his, wife since he became a heroin addict around 1993 after his release from prison. He became addicted to smoking heroin. The court was told Felloni had been diagnosed as suffering from a serious illness.
About a year before his release, Supt Mulligan said, a major Garda investigation (codenamed Operation Pizza") into Felloni's new drugs operation led gardai to a house at Belclare Park, Ballymun. Surveillance began.
Felloni was driven there by an associate, Jason Doyle. Gardai saw him at the rear of the house packing a white powder into small plastic bags.
Felloni was wearing surgical gloves. Gardai raided the house and arrested Felloni, Doyle and the house owner, Edward McLoughlin. Supt Mulligan said Felloni had been dividing some 270 grams of heroin which was up to 55 per cent pure.
The heroin had a street value at the time of up to £150,000. No dilutants were found, which indicated it was a wholesale operation. Heroin of that purity was not sold at street level.
Supt Mulligan told Mr Tom O'Connell, prosecuting, that the High Court released Felloni on reduced bail on the Ballymun charge. Gardai mounted another surveillance and monitoring operation on Felloni's movements and he was sighted a lot in Kinsealy and Malahide.
After a two-day search of a field in Kinsealy Lane, a coffee jar buried at the gable end of a disused house was unearthed. This contained a white powder in a sealed packet.
The area was watched and Felloni was arrested when he recovered the jar from its place of concealment. It contained 142 grams of heroin which was up to 45 per cent pure and had a street value then of about £75,000.
Supt Mulligan said Felloni was also released on bail on this charge, and £20,000 cash was lodged on his behalf.
Felloni pleaded guilty to having heroin for sale or supply at Belclare Road, Ballymun, on August 25th, 1994 and at Kinsealy Lane on January 15th, 1995. He also admitted having heroin at his home on July 29th and October 28th, 1995, for sale or supply.
Det Sgt John O'Driscoll said the raids on Felloni's flat resulted from confidential information. They were told it was being used as a distribution centre for heroin in the north city. Heroin was found concealed in shaving brush handles and more than £12,000 in Irish and sterling currencies seized.
Judge Kelly imposed a 14-year sentence on the Belclare Park charge, a consecutive three years on the Kinsealy Lane charge, and a further three years consecutive ion the two charges of having heroin at his home in 1995. He refused leave to appeal against the sentence.
"I have no doubt this man has become one of the principal movers of drugs in this city. Drugs are not only a Dublin problem but have devastated the whole country," he said.
Judge Kelly noted Felloni told gardai that when released from prison in 1993, life had changed so much he found it difficult to cope. Part of that change was brought about by heroin addiction and while Felloni could not be blamed for all of it, he contributed to it, said Judge Kelly.
"Where did he get the money found on him by gardai when he was officially unemployed? How did he buy the several cars he owned over the years? After his release by the High Court on reduced bail he continued his evil supply of heroin. He must be jailed for a lengthy period."