This article is from page 4 of the 2011-11-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
A 60-YEAR-OLD man whose drugs’ “hidey hole” was his armchair has been jailed for six months after drugs were found at his home twice in the space of a month.
John Joyce, with an address at Watery Road, Ennis, pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply late last year. Ennis District Court was told last week that on one occasion the drug seized was amphetamine, while it was cannabis on the other occasion.
Garda Gary Stack told the court that he went to the defendant’s home on December 15, 2010, on foot of a search warrant gardaí had obtained.
He said that the accused was sitting on an armchair. He seized a glass jar containing amphetamine, while he recovered € 3,350 in the kitchen of the house. Resealable dealing bags were found in the sitting room, said the garda.
Defending solicitor Tara Godfrey put it to the garda that her client had sold a horse at the Ballinasloe Fair a few weeks before this and some of the money had been from that sale.
Ms Godfrey said that her client sold pallets and some of the money was the proceeds of that. She said that it was approaching Christmas at the time and some of the money was his and his wife’s savings for that period. However, Gda Stack replied, “He was questioned in relation to the drugs and cash. I wasn’t happy with any of the answers.”
Inspector Tom Kennedy told the court that on another occasion, 11 bags of cannabis were found at the defendant’s home, which, he said, were valued at € 400.
Judge Aeneas McCarthy was told that the accused had no previous con victions for drugs offences.
Mr Godfrey submitted to the court, “It appears as though his hidey hole for his drugs was the back of his seat. Within one month of the first matter, he was found to have cannabis in his house in the same chair.” She said that her client’s house has been searched “three or four times since and nothing has been found”.
She suggested that Joyce be referred to the Probation Service for which he is “an ideal candidate”, she said.
However, Judge McCarthy said, “I don’t agree. He is a drug dealer. He had deals in his house,” said the judge. Ms Godfrey said they were “relatively small amounts”.
“He wasn’t living an extravagant lifestyle,” she said. “I am asking the court to take the view he hasn’t been involved in drugs before. Presumably he would have been detected if he was up to this mischief previously,” said Ms Godfrey.
The judge imposed two six-month jail sentences, to run concurrently. He fixed a bond in the event of an appeal.