Seven years for drug 'run'

A mechanic who used his employer’s car to pick up heroin valued at nearly €350,000 because of his illegal "drug debt" with a ruthless west Dublin criminal has been given a seven-year sentence.

Michael Kavanagh originally "owed" €15,000 but his father paid €11,000 to the criminal, who is presently in custody, which gave him time to pay off the balance - plus €1,000 "interest" to the thug who had threatened to harm his son unless he cooperated in the enterprise.

He was told that holding the cocaine for "someone" would wipe another €2,000 off the "debt" and he was planning "to do up cars and sell them on" to pay the rest.

Kavanagh (aged 26) of St James’ Road, Walkinstown was driving his boss’s car without permission when it was stopped and searched by gardaí acting on a tip-off.

He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of heroin for sale or supply and unlawful use of a car on June 9, 2008. He had 29 previous road traffic convictions,

Judge Frank O’Donnell noted that Kavanagh admitted in a report before the court that he had done previous "runs" for the same criminal and there was also a reference to his father paying off another €9,000 debt.

"You acted in a very idiotic manner but in all the circumstances it would be unfair to impose the 10 years presumptive mandatory sentence," Judge O’Donnell said.

He suspended the final two years of the sentence on Kavanagh’s bond to stay out of trouble for seven years and to obey all probation directions for one year after his release, including drug treatment.

Detective Garda Diarmuid Maguire told Ms Martina Baxter BL, prosecuting, that gardaí observed a man leave a black holdall bag in the passenger side of the car driven by Kavanagh.

They followed Kavanagh to St. Peter’s Road, Walkinstown where they stopped him and discovered the heroin with a street value of €348,460 in the bag.

Det Gda Maguire agreed with Mr Gerry O’Brien SC, defending, that Kavanagh was not making any profit from the enterprise.

Kavanagh told Mr O’Brien that he had "a bit of trouble growing up" due to his dyslexia but managed to complete his Leaving Certificate Applied. He said he moved into work as mechanic with his former employer who facilitated him in doing up cars.

Kavanagh said he started using drugs at a time when he had difficulty gaining access to his child and his addiction snowballed due to a number of tragedies in his life.