Teenager who possessed €150,000 worth of heroin given seven years' detention

A West Dublin teenager who was found in possession of €150,000 worth of heroin has been sentenced to seven years' detention by Judge Patrick McCartan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

The 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at his guardian's home on December 9, 2007. His 19 previous convictions included public order and assault and were dealt with in the District Court.

Judge McCartan said that heroin was "a very damaging drug that caused havoc in society and provided a lot of money to people, unlike this boy, but higher up than him".

He accepted that he was involved to pay off a "small debt" and he was under "the control of sinister people".

Judge McCartan said that the teenager was living in "a chaotic situation" and was likely to get in further trouble "with devastating consequences for him".

"He is someone in need of structure, support and discipline" before he added that he was going to suspend the last four years of the sentence "to give him some hope for the future".

Garda John Griffin told Ms Anne-Marie Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that the drugs were found in the teenager's bedroom which he shared with his uncle and he admitted to gardaí that they belonged to him.

Garda Griffin agreed with Mr Giollaiosa Ó Lideadha that his client had given no assistance to gardaí in the identification of those who were "higher up the ladder" than he was in the offence but accepted that had he done so "his life would have been at risk".

Mr Ó Lideadha told Judge McCartan that his client was under his grandaunt's care after his father had to be hospitalised following an accident and his mother had "her own difficulties to deal with".

He said that the teenager was a drug user at the time and that he appeared he had "been under instruction" in this offence and was to receive a small amount of money for his involvement.