By Natasha Reid
A 43-year-old grandfather has been jailed for five and a half years for storing more than €200,000 worth of heroin at his Dublin home.
Stephen Dunphy, of Decies Road, Ballyfermot, was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, pleading guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at his home on 15th March last.
Detective Garda James Morris of the Garda Organised Crime and Drugs Unit told the court that Dunphy wasn’t there when they searched his home that day.
“A detection was made in a wardrobe in a bedroom, three different batches of heroin in one black duffel bag,” he explained.
Det Gda Morris testified that Dunphy handed himself in at a garda station after hearing that his daughter and nephew had been arrested at the scene.
He made admissions, saying he had stored the drugs by choice and was not under pressure. He explained that he was receiving disability benefit and did it to make some money. He didn’t use heroin himself, and said he wasn’t ‘a player’ as such.
The court heard he had 15 previous convictions, including another for drug dealing, which involved €20,000 worth of cocaine. He had received a three-year suspended sentence for that offence.
Det Gda Morris agreed with Carl Hanahoe SC, defending, that his client displayed no signs of wealth, but presented as a man with a drug addiction, and was receiving €350 to hold the drugs. The garda also confirmed that Dunphy suffered from epilepsy and had fallen on hard times due to being no longer able to work.
He had handed himself in lest either of the two people arrested be implicated, remarked counsel.
Mr Hanahoe said there were ample grounds to depart from the mandatory minimum sentence. This mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years applies to second offences of drug dealing where the market value is €13,000 or more. There is a presumptive minimum sentence of 10 years for first offences.
“This prosecution would have been a challenge, absent the fact he turned himself in,” he told Judge Martin Nolan.
Counsel said that Dunphy had three daughters and a grandchild, and handed in references from his daughters, who spoke of the ‘wonderful father’ they knew.
He said that his solid work history as a general operative, wood fitter and tyre fitter had come to an end due to his epilepsy. He added that his client was depressed and desperate around the time of the incident, and asked the judge to be as lenient as possible.
Judge Nolan said he took account of his record as well as his mitigation and sentenced him to five and a half years.