Courts / Ireland / Report
'An effing set-up': man caught with €280k in heroin said he was only holding it for 'hours'
Summary
Clinton Byrne, 41, was sentenced to four years in prison for possessing more than €280,000 worth of heroin for sale or supply. He was arrested on 26 April 2023 after Gardaí searched a house in Clondalkin where he was found with €3,985 in cash, a weighing scale, a half‑kilogram block of heroin and a small amount of cannabis. Gardaí also seized three additional packages of heroin weighing just over 1.5 kg in a car parked by the house, bringing the total street value of the seized heroin to €280,630. Byrne pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and cannabis, claiming he was only holding the drugs for a few hours and that it was an "effing set‑up". He admitted an addiction to gambling and cocaine and a debt that had driven him to the offence. Byrne's brother said his brother was in a psychosis at the time.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 'An effing set-up': man caught with €280k in heroin said he was only holding it for 'hours'. Charges or matters: possession of more than €280,000 worth of heroin for sale or supply in Milford Manor, Station Road, Clondalkin on April 26, 2023; possessing. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- April 26, 2023 Incident
- April 26 Incident
- 2023-12-12 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possession of more than €280,000 worth of heroin for sale or supply in Milford Manor, Station Road, Clondalkin on April 26, 2023; possessing (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: She said Byrne "has been a productive member of society in the past" but that "this is a serious offence given the nature and quantity of the drugs." Judge Sheahan handed down a sentence of four and a half years' imprisonment but suspended the final six months on strict conditions.
Places mentioned
- Mountjoy
- Mountjoy Prison
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Station Road
Topics
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