Rehabilitated west Cork drug dealer had received death threats

A WEST Cork man caught with €65,000 worth of drugs received death threats from Cork city drug dealers to repay a debt, Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday. He was given a five-year suspended sentence after evidence he had completely rehabilitated.

The defendant had faced the possibility of a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 10 years and up to life imprisonment.

Judge Patrick J Moran said there were sufficient exceptional circumstances to allow him to depart from the mandatory provisions in the case against David Daly, 23, of Ballineen. Daly spent 20 months in residential drugs treatment and is continuing in aftercare programmes.