Courts / Dublin / Report

"Exemplary prisoner" jailed for having €1.4 million in heroin

Date
2016-07-15

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Joseph O'Neill, 41, of Ballyfermot, was sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing €1.4 million worth of heroin concealed in two fire extinguishers. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply on 19 August last year. O'Neill had been in Cloverhill Prison for nine months when he became chairman of the jail's Red Cross organisation and worked on a programme to reduce prison violence. He had given media interviews and spoke at an international conference in Dublin Castle, where he was one of four Irish prisoners invited and was not restrained. The judge noted his transformation and imposed a seven‑year sentence, suspending the final three years on strict conditions, backdating it to the date he entered custody. O'Neill apologized, said he was a chronic cocaine addict, and expressed remorse for the potential harm caused by the drugs. The operation was described as sophisticated, with the heroin hidden in hollowed fire extinguishers.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "Exemplary prisoner" jailed for having €1.4 million in heroin. Charges or matters: possessing heroin with intent to supply on August 19 last year. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

August 19 Incident
2016-07-15 Publication

Case subjects

Joseph O'Neill

Defendant

Charges: possessing heroin with intent to supply on August 19 last year (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Joseph O'Neill, who was caught with the drugs concealed in two fire extinguishers, had become the "public face" for prisoners of Cloverhill for his work on a programme to reduce violence amongst prisoners, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard during his sentence hearing. She imposed a seven year sentence and suspended the final three years on strict conditions.