A 30-year-old drug dealer who hid a stash of heroin worth €1,700 inside a teddy bear has been jailed for 30 months after he admitted having the drug to supply to others.
John Murray pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to possessing ten grammes of heroin for sale or supply at his house at Pearse Road in Ballyphehane in Cork on August 18th, 2014
Det Garda Peter Kennedy told the court that gardaí received confidential information that Murray was involved in drug dealing and carried out a search of his house on the day in question.
Murray was inside the house and attempted to swallow a piece of heroin but gardaí managed to prevent him from ingesting the drug which was retrieved and found to weigh 1.6 grammes.
“Ten grammes of heroin were found in a teddy-bear out in the back garden,” said Det Garda Kennedy adding that Murray admitted drug dealing when he was arrested and questioned.
Murray had 99 previous convictions including five for drug offences which included three for possession of drugs for his own use and two for possession of drugs for sale or supply.
Det Garda Kennedy said Murray would “give the impression that he is an addict” but he was also a habitual heroin dealer with his last conviction for dealing dating from 2010.
Judge Sean O Donnabhain noted that Murray got a three year jail term for drug dealing in September 2010 but he didn't appear to learn from the experience and was still dealing in drugs.
He noted that Murray had done nothing about his addiction from August 2014, when he was caught with the drug until recently when he sought to go for drug addiction treatment.
The judge had remanded Murray in custody for a week to see if the addiction counsellor in prison could advance his prospects of getting treatment as it was agreed by all sides he needed treatment.
But Judge O Donnabhain said Murray did not seem to have a very realistic approach to rehabilitation as he had stated that he did not want to engage in group sessions with an addiction counsellor.
He said the offence would usually merit a five year term of imprisonment but he would suspended half of it on foot of Murray’s plea on condition he goes into residential rehabilitation on his release.
