Man caught with drugs after calling gardaí to his home

A Blanchardstown father-of-one who was "caught by his own stupidity" after he called gardaí to the apartment where he was storing over 3,000 "ecstasy" tablets has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Des O’Brien (aged 30) rang 999 after hearing a shot being discharged in his neighbourhood and gardaí who arrived at his flat discovered the stash of 3,360 ecstasy tablets worth €33,600 in a bedroom.

O’Brien, of Verdemount Apartments, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at his home on February 19, 2006.

Judge Katherine Delahunt suspended the final three years of the sentence for three years after hearing O’Brien had dealt with his cocaine habit since his arrest.

Garda Ray Sheils told Ms Anne Rowland, prosecuting, that gardaí attended at O’Brien’s apartment and he asked if he could get something from his room. Gardaí who went with observed him dropping something to the floor as he got clothes from the wardrobe.

Gda Sheils said O’Brien was searched and "ecstasy" tablets worth €600 were found on his person. In another bedroom gardaí found a large Dunnes Stores bag with 10 bags of white tablets, a weighing scales and two mobile phones.

A total of 3,360 "ecstasy" tablets were found with an estimated street value of €33,600.

O’Brien, who has four previous convictions, took responsibility for the drugs and said he was holding the tablets for someone he could not name "for fear of my own life and my son’s life". He said he had never done it before and was to be paid €300.

Gda Sheils agreed with defence counsel, Mr Michael O’Higgins SC, that there had been a party at O’Briens house and he had called gardaí himself after hearing a shot being discharged

He agreed that "after being caught by his own stupidity" O’Brien was co-operative with gardaí.

Mr O’Higgins said his client was particularly ashamed because two members of his family were in the gardaí. He said he was in a vulnerable position at the time because he had split up from his partner and he suffered from depression.