Father-of-three gets ten years for storing drugs

A father-of-three who was forced to pay off his drug debt by storing drugs in the family home has been given a ten-year jail sentence by Judge Desmond Hogan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Ian Darcy (aged 24) of Oakrise, Clondalkin, who earned €700 a week as a tiler, was forced to store the drugs and deliver them by a violent dealer who refused to accept cash repayment.

He pleaded guilty to the possession of €92,000 worth of cocaine, three drugs scales and drug weights at his home on June 8, 2006.

Aileen Donnelly SC, defending, said Darcy had run up a €4,000 debt five years ago with a dealer when he was a drug addict.

Ms Donnelly said that last year the drug dealer demanded repayment and told Darcy that if he stored drugs in his home and delivered them to certain locations he would reduce his drug debt to €1,400.

"These are not straight forward repayments" said Ms Donnelly. "In these cases, it is payback with a certain type of interest."

Judge Hogan asked why, if Darcy earned €700 a week as a tiler, he could not take out a credit union loan and repay the €4,000 debt.

Garda Ciaran O’Neill told Judge Hogan that the drug dealer would not accept a cash repayment and this dealer was a violent man. " I accept there would be a risk in relation to the person involved with him."

Gda O’Neill added: "Many of these drug debts cannot be repaid in cash. Instead the drug dealer uses the debt to control the person. Small amounts are taken off the debt as in this case. "

Ms Donnelly said Darcy moved with his parents to Offaly where he overcame his drug addiction. He later moved back to Dublin to live with his girlfriend and children, and on returning to Dublin the drug dealer had contacted him regarding repaying the debt.

Judge Hogan said he had to take into account the huge amount of drugs stored in the family home and he did not believe that Darcy was at the lower end of the drugs chain.

He said Darcy had "not only stored the drugs but he had agreed to deliver them to certain locations", thereby leaving the drug dealer free to concentrate on other ventures.

Judge Hogan suspended the last three years of the ten-year jail sentence, taking into account his guilty plea and the fact that he had no previous convictions.