A DUBLIN man who held £7,000 worth of heroin for criminals has been jailed for four years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Ms lsobel Kennedy, defending, said the "bad element" Ross Archbold had previously associated with had been "moved on" from the Darndale area.
Archbold (19), of Marigold Crescent, Darndale, pleaded guilty to having almost 22 g of heroin for supply at his home on April 25th, 1996. Garda Declan Nolan said the heroin was found during a search by gardai. Archbold came from a respectable family and had not come to the Garda's notice since then. He had two previous convictions.
The defendant's mother, Mrs Ann Archbold, told Judge Cyril Kelly the family was "devastated" by her son's involvement with criminal drugs elements. She was unaware before his arrest of his drug problem.
Ms Kennedy said Archbold began abusing cannabis and ecstasy at 13 years and was smoking heroin for about eight months before his arrest. He was not making any profit from having the heroin in his bedroom.
Judge Kelly said Archbold when arrested was well on the road to destruction, as documented daily in the court. He had been adjudicated as a suitable candidate for the prison training unit which was a drug-free area. He agreed to review the sentence on January 19th, 1998.