Courts / Dublin / Report

Mother-of-four threatened into smuggling drugs into Mountjoy

Summary

In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 29 January 2020, Natalie McDonnell, aged 31, pleaded guilty to attempting to convey heroin, Zopiclone tablets and a mobile phone into Mountjoy Prison. Officers observed her hand a package to an inmate during a supervised visit; the package, later seized, contained heroin worth about €6,700 and sleeping tablets. McDonnell claimed she had been threatened that her home would be burned and her partner "cut up" if she did not deliver the package. She admitted she should have reported the threat to Gardaí but feared for her family. Judge Melanie Greally, considering her age, young family and difficult upbringing, imposed a two‑year imprisonment sentence, fully suspended with strict conditions attached.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Mother-of-four threatened into smuggling drugs into Mountjoy. Charges or matters: attempting to convey controlled substances, namely heroin and Zopiclone tablets, and a mobile phone into a prison on 29 January, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• 29 January Hearing Or Sentence
• 2021-07-01 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report