‘Misguided’ heroin dealer jailed for fifteen months

Galway District Court heard that Valentin Fatu of 1 Ros na Sí, Castlelawn Heights had been in the possession of a total of 29 bags of heroin with intent to sell, as a result of two separate Garda searches on July 3 last year.

He had been initially stopped on the Séamus Quirke Road where he was found with 18 bags of heroin with a street value of just over €1,300 while another search of his then address at a house in Corrach Buí, Rahoon resulted in the discovery of a further 11 bags of heroin. There was no value put on the second find by the prosecuting sergeant in court.

He was further charged with stealing €14 worth of clothes from Dunnes Stores on May 18 last year. A knife was found concealed on his person when he was searched at the Garda Station.

Fatu also charged with possession of four bags of heroin worth €500 with intent to sell at Prospect Hill on August 31 last year, and with driving without insurance at Menlo on March 1 last year following a two-car collision.

Valerie Corcoran, defending, explained that her client’s drug dependency had spiralled after his Irish partner had died three years ago after being together for a number of years. He started using huge amounts of it as he couldn’t cope with his stress and anxiety. Then he couldn’t finance it so turned to selling it.

He had made an effort to get out of Galway and joined a methadone programme in Dublin.

Ms Corcoran described her client as misguided and asked for leniency as he had no previous convictions for drugs.

Judge Mary Fahy said he may have been addict himself but he was selling heroin and because of his continued sales, other people had now become addicts.

Fatu received a total of 15 months prison sentence backdated to April 9 since he was first arrested and brought into custody.