Teen in court on €33,000 cocaine charge

A 16-year-old boy appeared in court yesterday charged with drug dealing following his arrest for possession of €33,000 worth of cocaine.

He was charged at the Dublin Children’s Court yesterday under section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act for having cocaine with a value in excess of €13,000 at Grove Lane, on the Malahide Road, Dublin 17, on September 27 last. He was also charged with having the cocaine for the purposes of sale or supply to another.

He was 15-years-old at the time of the alleged offence.

Garda Owen Kennedy of Coolock station said the boy was arrested and charged on January 23 last. The teen made no reply after he was cautioned.

Legal aid was granted the teenager who was accompanied to court by mother and a family support work.

He remained silent during the brief hearing. His solicitor told Judge Catherine Murphy that “it was his first time to be in court” and he was “very shy".

Garda Kennedy said the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided that given the boy’s age it was for the Children’s Court to rule on whether the case should be heard there or sent forward to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Garda Kennedy said it was alleged the boy was “stopped and searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act and found to be in possession of 480.9 grams of cocaine.” The drugs had a street value of approximately €33,000.

Judge Murphy said it was difficult to describe it as a minor offence in light of the amount involved. She refused jurisdiction to hear the case and ordered that it be sent forward to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court instead.

She remanded the north Dublin boy on bail pending the preparation of the book of evidence in the case.

A curfew condition was inserted into his bail bond complying him to be at home between 10.30 PM until 7AM daily. He was warned that if this condition was broken he would be “immediately remanded in custody to St Patrick’s Institution".