Cork man on €40k heroin charge

A Cork man on trial for having €40,000 worth of heroin told gardaí it was a dirty drug he disapproved of, it had nothing to do with him and he had only gone to Limerick to get papers for his pet Chihuahua.

Daniel Wyse, from 35 Glenfields Park, Ballyvolane, Cork, denied charges of having heroin for sale or supply at Halfway, Crossroads, Rathduff, Co Cork, on February 15, when its street value exceeded €13,000.

Questioned at the scene by Garda Jamie O’Riordan, Mr Wyse said he knew nothing about heroin only what he read in the Evening Echo, he thought it was a dirty drug which shouldn’t be on the streets and he had only gone to Limerick to get papers for his dog.

Detective Garda John Sheedy told Cork Circuit Criminal Court he andcolleagues were on surveillance in the Mallow area at 11.20pm that night when he saw a Suzuki Grand Vitara jeep with two men on board.

“I had information on that vehicle. We followed the jeep down a cul de sac. I could see it making the turn. We activated the lights and siren.

“I could see the jeep accelerate and drive towards us. We moved to block it. The Grand Vitara accelerated

and went up on the embankment and attempted to pass us. It came to a sudden stop. There was a bang. It then slid down and collided with the front of the patrol car.”

He said both passengers said in response to gardaí there were no drugs in the car. The detective said a package was found at the front-passenger footwell.

David Rickard, defending, said: ”You knew the passenger was John Heaphy and you knew he was a serious drugs offender.

Mr Wyse was searched and not a trace of any kind of drug was found on him. The package was found in the footwell below where Mr Heaphy was found.”

The case continues today.