Eight years for man who sold drugs from Dublin apartment

By Natasha Reid

A welder has been jailed for eight years for having more than €300,000 euro worth of various drugs and a large amount of cash in his home, as well as laundered cash and gold in a safe deposit box.

Tomasz Norys (41) of Palace Gardens, Exchange Court, Dame Street, Dublin was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply and money laundering there on November 19, 2024.

He described the activity in his home as ‘the business’.

Garda Marie Bagnall told the court that a search of Norys’s home that day uncovered cannabis, tablets, ketamine, cocaine, magic mushrooms, crystal meth, MDMA and another controlled drug.

The drugs, which were labelled, colour-coordinated and ready for distribution throughout Dublin, had a value of €321,454.

There were also a number of tick lists and manuals on how to make methamphetamine.

Cash in euro and sterling was found scattered throughout the apartment as well as in a safe there. This totalled more than €20,000.

Gardaí also found two keys for a safe deposit box in Merrion Vaults and this was later searched.

It contained €6,700 in cash plus gold bullion valued at €21,006 and a gold bullion receipt addressed to the accused.

A Polish national ID card in Norys’s name and a Bulgarian ID card in another name, but with his photo, were also stored in the box.

When arrested, he required a doctor as he had been taking drugs before the gardai arrived.

He was interviewed five times and told gardai that he was from Poland but had been living in Ireland for 20 years.

He lived alone and worked full-time as a welder as well as part-time for Panda.

He referred to what was going on in his apartment as ‘the business’ and admitted making a profit for providing the location and selling drugs.

He was afraid to name his supplier but said the business had been running from his apartment for a year and a half.

He had no previous convictions.

His barrister, Gerardine Small SC, said he had supplied material assistance and been full and frank.

Originally from Krakow, he had left home at 19 in search of a better life here.

Counsel said that he had a solid work record, often working two jobs, and had done numerous courses since going into custody, where he was an enhanced prisoner

Judge Martin Nolan was given a psychological report, which noted that his mother had died from alcohol-related problems, and that there were unresolved issues there.

Ms Small said that he had a history of mental health difficulties and had also suffered significant psychological distress during the early stages of imprisonment.

His use of drugs before Covid had been recreational, but the pandemic had been a turning point and he began using crystal meth.

However, he has remained abstinent since his arrest and now describes his involvement in drugs as one of the worst decisions he has made.

He has since facilitated drug-related training for other prisoners.

She asked the court to be mindful that his family is in Poland, English is not his first language, and that this is his first time in prison.

Judge Nolan imposed an eight-year sentence and backdated it to his arrest in November 2024.