Six years for drug dealer

A drug dealer who told gardai he sold drugs to "Bin Laden, John Gotti, Elvis and Michael Jackson" has been sentenced to six years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

According to his defence council, despite his jokes, Rodney McDermot (aged 31) was in fear for his life from the people who supplied him the drugs.

McDermot of California Hills, Rossmore Road, Ballyfermot pleaded guilty to possession of €52,000 worth of heroin on May 6, 2008 and €1,800 worth of heroin and crack cocaine on November 29, 2007.

Judge Patrica Ryan sentenced him to six years in prison with the final two suspended in light of his early guilty plea and limited admissions to gardaí.

Garda Finola Heaney told prosecuting counsel, Mr Garrett Baker BL, she and a colleague were on patrol in the California Hills estate when they saw Mc Dermot emerge from some undergrowth with a bag.

He tried to throw it away when he saw gardaí but they caught up to him and restrained him. The bag contained 241 grams of heroin. A decision was made to search his house and further heroin stashes were found in the bedroom as well as a small quantity of cocaine.

They also found €4,000 in cash which McDermot claimed he won on horse racing

He claimed he was selling the heroin to repay his own debt and was holding on to the cocaine for "some young fella."

He said he could not name his suppliers because he was "genuinely in fear of his life". He said he did not know how the drugs got into the country and refused to give a serious answer when asked who he sold them to.

Defence counsel, Mr Giollaíosa Ó Lideadha SC, said McDermot had been a heroin addict since he was 14. He said he made little money from drug dealing and "was not anywhere close to the top of the ladder."