Ross Gleeson jailed for heroin possession for sale or supply

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Ross Gleeson (29) was jailed for 18 months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possessing heroin for sale or supply on 24 October 2014. He pleaded guilty to the charge. The proceedings were reported on 24 November 2015.

Gardaí arrested him after seeing him enter a car under surveillance during Operation Creeper in Crumlin, Dublin. He was taken to Sundrive Garda station to be searched. On arrival, more than 34 grammes of heroin, worth €5,250 and bagged into individual street deals, was found in the patrol car’s foot-well.

Garda Eoin Kane told Paul Carroll BL, prosecuting, that Gleeson took responsibility for the heroin in his first interview but was detained and questioned over a number of days. The report said Gleeson told gardaí he intended to sell the drugs and had bagged them in his mother’s kitchen.

Gleeson had 31 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences. A separate charge concerned having €1,500 worth of heroin on 26 November 2014. He had pleaded guilty to that charge. He was due to be sentenced in the District Court on 24 November 2015.

Judge Martin Nolan said Gleeson had clearly purchased the drugs to sell for profit. He accepted Gleeson’s admissions and good work history, but noted his significant record of convictions.

Karl Moran BL, defending, said Gleeson had worked as a hospital porter after abandoning a plumbing apprenticeship. The report said he had sought work in Australia and felt he had no prospects on returning to Ireland. Mr Moran said Gleeson, who had a two-year-old daughter, was offered the opportunity to sell drugs and made “a foolish decision” to begin dealing.