Man stored heroin 'to raise funds for new baby'

A man who was renting an apartment to store heroin which he was selling on to street drug dealers has been jailed for five years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Paul Graham (aged 23) later told gardaí he was trying to raise funds because his partner was due to give birth to their first child.

He was caught when gardaí searched the apartment and found heroin in a sports sock hidden in a television. Graham was not there at the time but gardaí waited for him to turn up.

Over an hour later they heard Graham come into the apartment block and try the key in the door to his apartment before he fled. Graham had spotted them through the keyhole and although he did not know it was gardaí, he ran away.

Gardaí gave chase and he was arrested shortly afterwards. The heroin was later valued at just over €35,000.

Graham of Annesley Place, Dublin 1 pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra on September 22, 2010. He has previous convictions for road traffic offences and theft.

Graham made full admissions in subsequent garda interviews and said he had been using the flat to store heroin.

Graham’s defence counsel Aileen Donnelly SC, said her client was admitted to hospital recently after he fell and hit his head, knocking himself unconscious. He later suffered renal failure and started to have regular seizures.

Graham is still receiving medical treatment to ascertain the cause of the seizures.

Judge Martin Nolan said Graham had committed this offence “with malice and forethought” and said he was satisfied he was higher up the chain than others who come before the court on similar charges.