Two Kilkee based cocaine dealing love-birds yesterday had a Valentine’s Day they will want to forget in a hurry after the two were each jailed for five months.
At Kilrush District Court, Sean Ryan (27) and long time girl-friend, Celine Garvey (20) were each jailed for five months for cocaine dealing after a Garda raid of The Flat Over Garvey’s Shop, Carrigaholt Rd in the west Clare seaside resort of Kilkee on November 28th 2015.
Mr Ryan of The Flat Over Garvey’s Shop, Carrigaholt Rd, Kilkee and Ms Garvey of 60 Marian Estate, Kilkee both pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to sell or supply at the apartment on November 28th 2015.
In evidence, Detective Garda Conor Flaherty told the court that after obtaining a warrant, Gardai went to the address of the two and came across a bag containing €400 worth of cocaine, a ‘tick list’ of customers, little plastic bags and a weighing scale.
Judge Patrick Durcan said these items “are usually referred to as the paraphernalia of the proverbial drug dealers”.
Solicitor for Ms Garvey, Patrick Moylan said that the two were a couple reminding Judge Durcan that it was Valentine’s Day.
However, the couple’s relationship status on Valentine’s Day had no impact as Judge Durcan jailed both for five months on their first offence.
The two spent an anxious three hours in the custody suite in court while they were also brought away by Gardai to Kilrush Garda Station to be further detained.
However, the two were later released on bail from the custody suite in court after independent sureties were lodged to court pending an appeal against their jail terms in the circuit court.
Sentencing the two, Judge Durcan said that “these defendants are a cog and they may be a very small cog, but it makes the machine useless if the cog doesn’t work”.
He said: “It is like having a private jet at Shannon and if there is an oil strike, it can’t fly so these defendants are absolutely vital in relation to the whole drug operation in west Clare perpetrated against the citizens of the area for the purpose of making money.”
Judge Durcan said that it was “one of the more serious cases of drug peddling in Co Clare to come before him”.
He said: “People who are engaged in this carry on out here – they must take the consequences of their actions and the public must see that there is the danger upon conviction of serving a sentence.”
Judge Durcan said that if pleas had not been offered in the cases, the defendants would be facing harsher sentences.
Judge Durcan said both had been uncooperative with Gardai. He said: “This is not a case where the court can bear in mind that there was co-operation by the two.”
Solicitor for Mr Ryan, Michael Ryan said: “They were young, stupid, immature and made a very stupid decision. Neither of them have no any previous history of offending.”
Michael Ryan added: “It was a very stupid decision – if they had their time all over again, they would think twice about it. They probably didn’t give any thought going into it and of the long term consequences of being caught – it follows you where-ever you go – that in itself is a heavy penalty.”
Mr Ryan said that if they had provided information to the Gardai, the two would have been putting their lives in danger even if they wanted to speak out. He said: “They had no choice but not to talk.”
