2026-01-14
Six-year sentence for man caught with heroin and cocaine
Stage: Sentence
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The judge noted Byrne receives weekly visits from family in prison and has one disciplinary report for possession of a mobile phone. "I don't see Mr Byrne on the lowest rung," said Judge Baxter before handing down a six-year sentence with the final six months suspended and backdating it to November for time spent in custody. "Using someone else's home indicates an element of control," said the judge. Byrne's co-accused Laura Smith (29) of Crannogue Close, Poppintree, Ballymun was given a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence by Judge Martin Nolan last November after pleading guilty to allowing her home to be used for the preparation of drugs for sale or supply on the same date.