Gerard Matthews told gardaí he was told that €1,000 would be taken off his €25,000 drugs debt

Gerard Matthews (30), Grange Village, Mullingar, told gardaí he was told that €1,000 would be taken off his €25,000 drugs debt when he received a call ordering him to collect the vehicle from a McDonald's car park in Ballyfermot, Dublin.Sgt Brendan Breen agreed with Mary Ellen Ring SC, defending, that Matthews felt he had no option but to comply with the request and he believed that if he had ignored it there would have been "detrimental consequences".Matthews pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at the N4 Lucan by-pass in May 2007.He also admitted to theft of €640 from Centra in Rathmines four days earlier and to producing a knife during the raid.Judge Delahunt accepted that Matthews's role was transporting the drugs but said he played "an intrinsic role" in the trade. "Those above you would not be able to operate without you."She accepted that a psychological assessment showed that there were "traumatic aspects" to his background and noted that he had been abusing drugs since he was 13 years old.Judge Delahunt said she was satisfied that Matthews's case had special and exceptional circumstances so that the presumptive mandatory sentence of 10 years did not apply.

Deo Gracias, from The Congo, was arrested yesterday on Peter Street in Dublin's south inner city following the seizure of €350,000 worth of cocaine.

Deo Gracias, from The Congo, was arrested yesterday on Peter Street in Dublin's south inner city following the seizure of €350,000 worth of cocaine. The court heard that Mr Gracias, who lives in a hostel, was arrested at 9.30pm yesterday evening and taken to Pearse Street Garda Station where he was charged under section 2 of the Drugs Trafficking Act. Judge Patrick Klein granted bail on payment of €10,000 and an independent surety of €75,000 which the court heard Mr Gracias had no means to pay.
He was remanded to appear in Cloverhill District Court next Thursday.

Dillon O'Brien charges alleged that he brought a controlled drug, diamorphine, vodka and mobile phones to prisoners at Mountjoy

Dillon O'Brien (36), of Clonsilla, Dublin, was charged with 14 offences between January 2005 and March 2007. The charges alleged that he brought a controlled drug, diamorphine, vodka and mobile phones to prisoners at Mountjoy, contrary to section 6(2), of the Criminal Law Act 1976. One charge alleged the prison officer conspired with Wayne Bradley and another person to commit a breach of section 83 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 by supplying cocaine to David Mulvey, contrary to common law, between March 12 and March 12 last year.Garda David Carolan told Judge Miriam Malone in the Circuit Criminal Court that O'Brien was arrested at 6.50am yesterday.
He was remanded on bail of €1,000 and ordered to sign on three times a week at Blanchardstown garda station. O'Brien will reappear at Dublin District Court on August 26. The four other men were all remanded on bail by Judge Malone to appear at the same court on July 29. Sean Hinchon (30), of St Ronan's Close, Clondalkin, Dublin, faced three charges alleging that between January 1, 2005, and March 15 last year, he conspired with Dillon O'Brien and another person to bring diamorphine into Mountjoy. Three charges alleging he brought mobile phones into the jail between January 1, 2005 and March 15, 2007 were also laid against him.
Thomas Hinchon (28), of St Ronan's Close, Clondalkin, faced three charges of conspiring with Dillon O'Brien and another person to bring diamorphine into the prison and three charges relating to smuggling in a mobile phone.
Paul Dixon (27), of Valeview Drive, Finglas, appeared on six charges of unlawful possession of controlled drugs, including cocaine and cannabis resin in cell 26, on landing B3 of the prison, contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Acts, on March 15, 2007. Nigel Curran (32), of Corduff Gardens, Blanchardstown, was charged that between March 9, 2007 and April 3, 2007, he stole assorted "Profitline" hairdressing products and 208 packets of ventolin evohaler from United Drug Pharmaceutical Products' premises at Magna Business Park in City West, Dublin contrary to section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

Three members of a Limerick gang and a well known Dublin based drug trafficker arrested with at least 1kg of heroin

Gardai have smashed a major drug deal in Dublin, seizing at least 1kg of heroin estimated to be worth around €200,000.The deal, which involved three members of a Limerick gang and a well known Dublin based drug trafficker, was intercepted by Gardai from the National Drugs Unit on the Naas Road.The three were in Dublin to collect the drugs when the Garda Drugs Unit, assisted by Limerick Gardai, made the arrests. Three are being detained at Clondalkin Garda station while another is being held at Tallaght Garda station.One of the arrested is thought to be a woman.The woman and two of the men being held at Clondalkin Garda station are due before Kilmainham District Court Monday morning.All four are believed to be aged between 28 and 42 years old.On Friday Gardai in Clare seized €53,000 worth of cannabis, ecstasy and amphetamines during raids in Ennis.

Jason Rooney was sentenced to 10 years in prison

Jason Rooney was yesterday sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was caught with more than €43,000 worth of cocaine.Rooney (22), of Spring Garden Street, Dublin 3, was imprisoned for seven years last month in Trim Circuit Criminal Court, Co Meath, after he was caught with €500,000 worth of drugs.He had eight other previous convictions for road traffic offences.Defence counsel said that it was "a paradoxical situation" that his client had been working in an organisation trying to keep young people away from drugs yet he went on to have two convictions for drug dealing.The judge took into account Rooney's plea of guilty, co-operation with the garda investigation and the fact he took responsibility for the drugs when others could have been suspected of being involved.

€200,000 worth of heroin was seized in the Meath Market

Gardai in Blanchardstown, Finglas, Tallaght, Clondalkin and in the city centre arrested seven men, two women and a teenager in connection with the seizures of heroin, cocaine and cannabis.
On Saturday evening, €200,000 worth of heroin was seized in the Meath Market and South Earl Street area of Dublin city centre.
However, gardai from Kevin Street, who carried out the raids, did not arrest anyone.
Also on Saturday, two men, aged 32 and 22, were arrested at Harelawn Park in Clondalkin and €60,000 worth of heroin was seized. The men were released yesterday without charge.
The weekend's biggest haul came on Friday night, when about 10 kilos of heroin -- with an estimated street value of €2m -- was recovered in an operation in Tallaght by the garda drugs squad and the Irish Customs Service, assisted by the Tallaght gardai.
Four men, three in their twenties and one in his thirties, were arrested in connection with the raids on five properties, which targeted both houses and commercial premises.
They will appear at Tallaght District Court this morning charged in connection with the drugs seizure.
Small quantities of cannabis and cocaine, with a combined value of €5,000, were also found, along with the heroin discovery which gardai are calling "significant".
Another man and two women were arrested on Friday morning in separate cocaine seizures in Mulhuddart and Finglas.
Gardai said the raids, although carried out over the same weekend, were not co-ordinated.
"It just so happened that they all fell like that on the one weekend," one garda source said

Willie Bernard Jackson

Willie Bernard Jackson, 40, pleaded guilty to three felony drug charges — distribution of cocaine; distribution of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a public school (Susie Dasher on U.S. Highway 19); and use of community facility in a drug transaction.
Superior Court Judge Stanley Smith sentenced Jackson to 25 years; 12 in prison, followed by 13 years on probation.
At the time of his arrest in 2006, Jackson was on parole from the Department of Corrections. Jackson’s record with the state goes back to 1987 with multiple convictions for robbery, armed robbery and narcotics violations. His probation was revoked and he awaited the 2006 drug charges from Wayne State Prison.

A 24-year-old man Dublin

A 24-year-old man has been arrested following the seizure of nearly 40kg of cannabis resin in Dublin this morning.
The drugs, worth an estimated €260,000, were seized by members of the Garda National Drugs Unit following a planned search in Tallaght.
The man is being held at Tallaght Garda Station under section 2 of the Criminal Justice Drug Trafficking Act 1996.