Gardaí catch dealer twice

Gardaí raided a house in Turner’s Cross in Cork and found a man had a stash of drugs which he was dealing.

When they called back with another warrant three months later, they caught him in the throes of precisely the same crime again.

Garda Eoin O’Toole said there was a certain naivety about the actions of Kenneth Heffernan in August and November 2012.

Heffernan, who now lives at 9 The Mews, River Towers, Lee Rd, had his home at Capwell Avenue, Turner’s Cross, on August 9, 2012.

Gardaí found a quantity of cannabis worth €2,000 to €2,500 in his bedroom.

Garda O’Toole obtained a second warrant to conduct another search on November 7 and found €500 worth of cannabis at the house in Turner’s Cross.

Judge Ó Donnabháin wondered how it happened that a man caught dealing drugs from a house in August would be sitting in the same house three months later carrying out the same crime.

Garda O’Toole said: “Perhaps there was a certain naivety. He thought it would go away. I had spoken to him in between times.”

Donal O’Sullivan, defending, said the defendant was using a lot of the cannabis at the time but admitted that he also had the drug for sale or supply.

Mr O’Sullivan said the defendant had turned his life around and was now working full time.

Judge Ó Donnabháin imposed 18 months for the first offence and a consecutive 18 months for the November offence, but the three-year sentence was suspended in full.