Courts / Dublin / Report
Business loan went to feed drug habit, court hears
Summary
Darren Nolan, 50, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to possession of heroin for sale or supply at his Dublin address. He had taken a business loan to start a venture, but the money was largely used to fund a heroin habit, creating a debt. Gardaí, acting on confidential information and a surveillance operation, obtained a search warrant and found €99,246 worth of heroin, weighing scales, bagging material, a tick‑list, and €3,072 in cash. The heroin was stored in a sock inside a shopping bag in a wheelie bin, and additional stock was found at another address. Nolan had prior theft convictions. His defence argued he had been addicted in the early 1990s, had gone clean, but relapsed in 2015 after personal losses. The court accepted his plea but deemed the offence too serious for a non‑custodial sentence, resulting in the three‑year term.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Business loan went to feed drug habit, court hears. Charges or matters: possession of heroin for sale or supply at his address on June 23, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 23, 2017 Incident
- 2021-06-21 Publication
Why: A man who stored just under €100,000 of heroin in order to pay off a debt has been jailed for three years. CNI source report
Case subjects
Accused
Charges: possession of heroin for sale or supply at his address on June 23, 2017 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He sentenced Nolan to three years imprisonment.
Places mentioned
- Oriel Street
- Dublin City
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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