Man said a friend left heroin behind
JAIL TERM DRUGS DISCOVERED IN BAG UNDER BED
Wednesday March 10 2010
A SHANKILL MAN who initially took 'the rap' for a small amount of heroin found in his home but later brought another man to the garda station and claimed he owned the drugs has been jailed for three years by Judge Katherine Delahunt.
Alan Keyes ( 37) of Saint Anne's Park, Shankill, later contracted a drug-related disease after he was stabbed a number of times with a knife and a syringe.
Defence counsel, Mr Garnet Orange BL, described Keyes as being in the centre of the drugs community that 'sits on the periphery of our society'.
Keyes pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of the drugs, worth €500, for sale or supply on November 2, 2007. He had 15 previous convictions for mostly drug-related offences.
Detective Garda Peter Egan told Ms Eilis Brennan BL, prosecuting, that the gardaí had Keyes home under surveillance after they were informed, through confidential information, that drugs were being sold from the premises.
The heroin was found in a small knotted plastic bag under the bed in which Keyes had been sleeping in when gardaí raided the house. A number of other drug paraphernalia was also found during the subsequent search.
Garda Egan said that Keyes told gardaí he would take 'the rap' for the drugs when they were discovered at his home but in a later garda interview said that an addict friend, who had slept over that night, may have left them behind.
Keyes arrived back at the station the following day with a man, who told gardaí he wished to accept responsibility for the haul but on his way to the interview room said that Keyes had him 'over a barrel' and he didn't own the drugs.
Garda Egan said Keyes maintained his innocence and elected for trial but entered a guilty plea a month before the hearing.
He agreed with Mr Orange that Keyes was a regular drug user who had not materially benefited from supplying drugs.
Gda Egan further accepted that Keyes's life had been 'in utter chaos' because of his addiction. Judge Delahunt noted that Keyes had previously been given a two-year suspended sentence for a drug conviction and added 'you did not take the chance given to you at that time.'
