A man described by gardai as one of the largest drug dealers in the State has been jailed for eight years by Judge Kieran O'Connor for possession of £27,000 worth of ecstasy.
John Noonan (43) of Fairways Grove, Finglas, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs on Greenhills Road, Walkinstown on May 10th, 1998.
Det Garda Patricia Mc Garrity said it was rare to catch a dealer as significant as Noonan in possession of drugs. Gardai believed he was a serious distributor and not the type to sell drugs on a street corner.
Det Garda Mc Garrity told the court 1,851 tablets were found in Noonan's car when it was stopped by The National drugs Unit.
In his statement Noonan said he agreed to transport Cannabis for a man he met in a Tallaght pub for £300. He was surprised that a box he received contained ecstasy.
Defence Council Fergal Foley said there was no evidence that Noonan was a major dealer and gardai had not presented any evidence of cars, bank accounts or other indications of a high lifestyle.
Judge Kieran O'Connor accepted that Noonan was transporting the drugs for another person but said there was a large quantity of ecstasy involved. Drug dealers would be dealt with severely by the courts. He set a review date in June 2003, but leave to appeal the severity of the sentence.