Sting catches woman selling heroin 3 times

An undercover sting operation by drugs squad gardaí in Cork and officers of the National Drug Unit caught a 52-year-old woman selling heroin on the streets of the city on three separate occasions.

Annette Byrne, of 19 The Cottages, Ballintemple, Cork, was one of a number of people whom gardaí believed were involved in the sale of diamorphine, better known as heroin.

Detective Garda Catriona Molloy testified at Cork District Court yesterday that undercover gardaí made controlled purchases of the drug from Byrne.

Firstly, on August 27, 2014, at Sober Lane an officer posing as a heroin user purchased €30 worth of the drug from Byrne. On September 16 at French’s Quay, Cork, an officer bought a similar quantity of the drug from her. Finally, on October 22 an undercover garda made another heroin deal with her. The value of the drugs on each occasion was a single €30 deal.

While such a value of drugs would usually be grounds for a prosecution for having the drug for one’s own use, Byrne was prosecuted on three counts of having the drugs for sale or supply to others because of the circumstances of the detection.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: “I want the probation service to get involved so you would not be involved in anything like this again.”