Chef was pressured by criminals to allow heroin to be stored at his Limerick home
A CHEF who was pressured by criminal elements to allow them store drugs at his home has avoided a prison sentence.
Jamie Power, 37, of Laurel Drive, Loughboy, Kilkenny had pleaded guilty to “knowingly permitting his property to be used” for the sale and supply of controlled drugs.
During a sentencing hearing earlier this year, Detective Garda Ronan O’Reilly said significant quantities of cannabis and amphetamines were found when gardai searched the defendant’s rented home at Caisleann na hAbhainn, Castletroy on April 12, 2014.
He said the drugs, which had a total value of more than €43,000, were found in a locked bedroom which Mr Power did not have access to.
The defendant had taken out a six month lease on the house three weeks earlier after the deposit was paid by another individual.
Prior to that he was living in student accommodation in Moylish as he was studying at LIT.
John O’Sullivan BL, prosecuting, said the defendant was approached by a criminal figures and told if he rented the house in his name, his drug debt of €5,000 would be cleared.
Andrew Sexton SC said his client would not have been in a position to pay the €1,400 deposit and that he had his suspicions that drugs were being stored in the bedroom.
Mr Sexton said his client had co-operated with gardai and he submitted the offence was at the lower end of the range.
Imposing sentence, Judge Tom O’Donnell noted the “extremely positive” contents of a probation report and he said the delay in the case “coming through the system” was also something had to consider.
He accepted there was an element of duress and that Mr Power’s admissions were pivotal in what, he said, was a “highly unusual” case.
He imposed an 18 month prison sentence which he suspended in its entirety for 18 months.