Galway Bay fm newsroom – A 45-year-old heroin-dealing fisherman has been sentenced to nine months in prison after a substantial quantity of the drug was found at his home in the city.
Colm Joyce, a native of Kilronan, Inis Mór, with a address at 50 College Road, Galway, was charged with the possession of two thousand euro worth of heroin and with having the drug for sale or supply at the College Road address on August 13th last year.
He had intended to contest the charges but entered a plea of guilty at the last minute at Galway District Court this week.
Inspector Kevin Gately said Garda PJ Noone found the heroin during a search of Joyce’s city address and the accused admitted it was his and he had it for sale to others.
He said Joyce had 19 previous convictions, including one for another drug dealing offence in 2008, for which he had received a suspended sentence.
Others were for thefts, assault and road traffic offences.
Defence solicitor, Ronan Murphy said his client was currently before the Circuit Criminal Court on similar drug dealing charges and a probation report had been ordered prior to sentence in December.
He asked for sentence in this matter to be adjourned until after the outcome of the Circuit Court matter.
Judge Mary Fahy refused the application and taking Joyce’s plea and his serious previous convictions into account, she sentenced him to nine months in prison for the heroin dealing charge.
A concurrent, three- month sentence was imposed for possession of the drug.
Leave to appeal the sentence was granted and a order for the destruction of the drugs was also granted pending any appeal.