Heroin addict jailed for 12 years

A chronic heroin addict who was caught three times with drugs totaling over €28,000 has been jailed for 12 years by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Dermot Manders (aged 38) of Parnell Road, Harold’s Cross, pleaded guilty to possession of €24,000 worth of cocaine and over €4,000 worth of heroin on dates between February 9, and August 9, 2006. He had 49 previous convictions for mostly road traffic offences and was on bail for each charge when he committed the next.

Judge Delahunt imposed consecutive sentences totaling 12 years and suspended the final six years of the term on condition that Manders keep the peace and be of good behaviour for four years upon his release from prison.

She accepted that he had been used, on more than one occasion, for the storage of drugs and had made recent attempts to deal with his addiction.

Judge Delahunt also accepted that he was on the bottom rung of the ladder and was not trusted to hold drugs of a higher value.