Courts / Dublin / Report
Two-year jail term for holding heroin to pay off drug debt
Summary
Christopher McDonagh, aged 30, was sentenced by the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five years' imprisonment, with the final three years suspended, for possessing 471 grammes of heroin worth €70,695. He admitted to holding the drugs for a week after being instructed by his dealer, who supplied him with prescription medication. McDonagh had previously pleaded guilty to the offence on 24 February 2013 and had ten earlier convictions. Garda Anton Keating, who agreed with the defence counsel, noted that McDonagh, though addicted to medication, had an anti‑heroin stance and had tried to help friends quit. He was found to have been in fear of the man to whom he owed money. The judge, Mary Ellen Ring, accepted his full responsibility, noted his cooperation with Gardaí, and back‑dated the sentence to 11 November 2014, ordering him to comply with probation services for 18 months upon release.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Two-year jail term for holding heroin to pay off drug debt. Charges or matters: possessing just over 471 grammes of heroin, worth €70,695, at his home on February 24, 2013. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- February 24, 2013 Incident
- November 11, 2014 Other
- 2015-02-06 Publication
Why: A man who held over €70,000 worth of heroin in order to pay off a €2,500 drug debt has been sentenced to five years in prison with the final three suspended. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possessing just over 471 grammes of heroin, worth €70,695, at his home on February 24, 2013 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Ring backdated the sentence to November 11, 2014 and ordered McDonagh to comply with probation services for 18 months on release.
Places mentioned
- Parlickstown Avenue
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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