‘Every country is ravaged by drugs’ - judge tells Portlaoise court
Offaly dealer arrested in Portarlington in Laois court
A drug dealer is going back to jail after being found with drugs in Portarlington with a judge saying countries are being ravaged by those trying to make money from dealing.
He made the comments when Vincent Waldron, aged 35, of Conway Court, Kinnity, Co Offaly, appeared before Portlaoise District Court on July 11.
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby told the court on March 3, 2023, the Gardaí apprehended the accused on a bus in Portarlington.
When detained he was found to have cannabis worth €1,700, digital scales, a grinder and €500 in cash.
The court heard that he had five previous convictions including a suspended three-year sentence in 2018 for the sale or supply of drugs.
He was also jailed in Portlaoise for 10 months in the Midlands Prison for the sale of supply of drugs in 2013.
Garda Dooley said the accused also has had three and five-year sentences suspended for 10 years imposed by the Circuit Court on other matters committed before March 2023.
The accused has spent just over three months in custody on the charges faced from Portarlington.
Defence Counsel said his client has a partner and two children and is an unemployed welder but hopes to get work. Counsel said that his client’s chequered past stems from a high dependency on cannabis. He argued that the drugs were for personal use. However, he said the spell on remand in Cloverhill Prison has led to him cleaning his habit and not coming to garda attention.
Counsel appealed for a community sentence on the offence before the court but accepted that the Circuit Court sentences would have to be dealt with at a later date.
Prior to passing sentence, Judge Cody said “every country is ravaged” by drugs and this is only facilitated by people who are “trying to make money from the sale and supply”.
He said community service is not appropriate given Mr Waldron’s record.
Judge Cody convicted the accused and jailed him for six months but took into account the time already spent in jail between March and June.
He remanded the accused to appear before Longford Circuit Court on Tuesday, July 16 in relation to the two suspended sentences imposed in Tullamore.