A DRUG addict whose fearful family was forced to compensate drug dealers for their loss after gardaí seized a €33,000 heroin cache which he was storing in order to repay a drug debt has been given a five-year sentence.
Jason Byrne (32), with an address at Davitt House, Galtymore Road, Drimnagh, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs in a shed to the rear of the building on April 17th, 2007.
Louise Preston, Byrne’s older sister, told Judge Desmond Hogan that after the drugs were confiscated, Byrne received a call to say he had 24 hours to gather €10,000 to compensate the dealers.
She said the family called a meeting and agreed to give him the money on condition that it never happened again.
Ms Preston said Byrne, who had 34 previous convictions, began using drugs at age 13 and “went down the wrong road”, but has made significant efforts to turn his life around since the birth of his child.
Judge Hogan said he had to take into account “the havoc caused in this city of ours by drugs, aided and abetted by drug dealing”, but noted Byrne was a “vulnerable” person due to his addiction.
Judge Hogan imposed a five-year sentence, suspending the final year on strict conditions.
Det Garda Pat Fagan told Fergal Foley, prosecuting, that gardaí mounted a surveillance operation on a flat complex in Drimnagh and stopped Byrne going into a flat there. Gardaí found keys in the flat which Byrne told them opened a shed at the back of the building.
Det Garda Fagan said gardaí found a holdall bag in the shed containing two flasks, one of which held six bags of heroin with an estimated street value of €33,700.
Byrne accepted responsibility for the drugs and told gardaí he was storing them to pay off a €2,500 drug debt.
Det Garda Fagan agreed with defence counsel Isobel Kennedy that Byrne had co-operated with gardaí but was too afraid to name anyone else involved because he was in fear of himself or his girlfriend being shot.
Ms Kennedy said Byrne wished to apologise to the court, gardaí and public for his actions. She said no other members of Byrne’s family had ever been in trouble with gardaí.