Three years for heroin possession

A man who was caught holding almost €3,400 worth of heroin a month after he received a suspended sentence for handling stolen property has been jailed for three years by Judge Patrick McCartan.

Eddie Uzell (aged 23), with an address at Waterside Close, Swords Road, Malahide pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs at his home on August 29, 2007. He had 38 previous convictions which included a three-year suspended sentence for the handling charge.

Judge McCartan said that Uzell had "little regard to what happened in court in July 2007 when a month later you were caught with heroin".

He said he had to send Uzell to jail after he had given no explanation to gardaí for holding the drugs "other than it was a more convenient and easy way for you to support your lifestyle", before Judge McCartan added that there had been no reason at the time for Uzell not to go out and earn a living.

He acknowledged that it was sad for Uzell and his partner that he would be in custody when their child was born in May.

Garda Brian Healey told Mr Bernard Condon BL, prosecuting that 37 bags of heroin were found along with four "ecstasy" tablets and a weighing scales in Uzell’s home following a Garda search.

Uzell denied that he had been selling the drugs and claimed he was holding them for someone else. He said he never used the scales and told gardaí that this had been given it along with the drugs.

Mr Luigi Rea BL, defending, said that although Uzell was drinking and taking tablets at the time, he was now drug free and had turned his life around.