Man jailed for having drugs in Dublin hotel room

By Claire Henry

A Dublin man has been sentenced to one year in prison for having over €15,000 worth of drugs in his possession in a city hotel room.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that gardaí had a man under surveillance and he was seen coming and going from the Maldron Hotel in Tallaght, dealing drugs.

Gavin Deering (24) of Cloonmore Park, Jobstown, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to having cannabis for sale or supply and also having a controlled drug in the form of cocaine in his possession at the Maldron Hotel Tallaght, on July 4, 2021.

He has 28 previous convictions, which are all traffic offences.

Judge Martin Nolan told Deering that if he had come to court with a clean record, he may have been able to accede to a defence request for a suspended sentence, but he noted Deering had got chances previously.

Judge Nolan also took into account there was a fair chance Deering could reform himself.

Judge Nolan imposed a three year sentence and suspended the final two years on conditions including that he be of good behaviour for two years following his release.

Garda David O’Donoghue told Aoife O’Leary BL, prosecuting, that gardaí obtained a search warrant for a hotel room in the Maldron Hotel.

Deering was in the room at the time and a large wrapped package of cannabis, weighing scales, deal bags as well as six small vacuumed packed bags were seized. A small amount cocaine was also found in the room.

Gda O’Donoghue said, the cannabis was valued at €15,568 and the cocaine was valued at €106.

Deering was arrested and brought to Tallaght Garda Station.

During his interview, he said he was staying in the hotel room and that he had booked and paid for the room himself.

He said that he was holding the large amount of cannabis for someone else.

Gda O’Donoghue agreed with Mr Karl Monahan BL, defending, that Deering entered an early guilty plea but that he would not say who he was holding the drugs for.

Mr Monahan said his client would now be in debt for the loss of the drugs seized by gardaí.

Counsel said Deering began to use drugs at the age of seventeen and became addicted to weed and cocaine.

He is in receipt of a disability allowance and has been diagnosed with ADHD and Aspergers.

A letter from Deering’s mother was handed into court which said that due to her son’s ADHD and Asperger’s, he found it very hard to progress in life.

Deering has the support of his mother and partner and a letter was handed into court from his employer who has a job available for him.