Woman bought heroin to supply young Galway addicts

Melissa Maughan, whom the court was told resides with a friend at 41 Gaelcarrig Park, Newcastle, pleaded guilty before Galway District Court to having €550 worth of heroin for sale or supply to others at the bus terminal near Ceannt Station on January 3 last year.

She also pleaded guilty to having heroin for sale or supply to others a month earlier, on December 1, 2014 and to a number of minor shoplifting offences committed around the city five years ago.

Judge Mary Fahy said she wasn’t too concerned about the theft offences, but she was deeply concerned that Maughan would go to Dublin, collect heroin there and then return to Galway with it concealed in her body to sell to young addicts here.

Inspector Mick Dwyer said the first drug dealing offence was detected on December 1, 2014 when Gardaí stopped a car in which Maughan was a front seat passenger.

She and the driver were taken to Salthill Garda Station where Maughan handed over two bags of heroin ‘deals’.

She told Gardai she had been selling bags of heroin and had already sold ten bags before being stopped.  She had €250 cash on her at the time and €50 worth of heroin.

The Inspector said that a month later, on January 3, 2015, Garda were waiting for Maughan as she got off a bus from Dublin at Ceannt Station.

She was brought to the Garda station and searched.

“She had a quantity of heroin concealed in her body, weighing 3.98 grams and valued at €550,” he said.

“And she came off the bus from Dublin with heroin on her body, concealed or whatever,” Judge Fahy said.

She observed the court had given Maughan a chance in 2014 to carry out community service in lieu of a prison sentence for a theft offence committed in 2010, but she had refused to engage with the probation service and the service had re-entered that matter before the court as well this week.

In light of the more serious charges which Maughan was now facing, probation officer, Pat Mitchell agreed with Judge Fahy that the historic probation service re-entry be withdrawn.

Defence solicitor, Elaine Murphy said her client had a significant drug addiction.  She said she had been addicted to heroin for quite some time but was now on a Methadone treatment programme since last August.

A letter was handed into court confirming Maughan was now stable on Methadone but it stated she needed to undergo a stabilisation programme at Beaumont Hospital for an ongoing addiction to Benzodiazepine.

Ms Murphy said her client’s addictions had led to a very chaotic lifestyle for a number of years and she was homeless and on the streets begging when she took items from stores in the city.

Maughan, she said, was now in a much better position and the drug dealing offences, which were committed within a two-month period, occurred well over a year ago.

She said Maughan had not come to Garda attention since and she had fully co-operated with Gardai at the time.

“She is now living with a friend in Gaelcarrig Park and is in a much more stable environment but she needs to go to Beaumont to complete the course of stabilisation,” Ms Murphy said of her client.

“This is a lady who went to Dublin, collected heroin and brought it back to Galway for sale.  She’s looking at a custodial sentence,” Judge Fahy warned.

Noting that Garda Cathal Rodgers had prosecuted Maughan for the January 2015 offence at the bus station, the judge said she wanted to speak to him before finalising sentence.

“She did live a chaotic lifestyle, but she was still able to go to Dublin, get her stash and come back to Galway and sell it to young addicts here.  It’s really very serious and Galway doesn’t need that,” Judge Fahy said.

Ms Murphy asked the court to adjourn sentence until Maughan had completed the course in Beaumont and she would be more stable then.

Garda Rodgers came to court a short time later.

Judge Fahy asked him if Maughan was still involved in the drugs trade.

“She’s still on our radar, rather than off it with regards to the drugs scene,” he replied.

Judge Fahy remarked: “She is obviously coming into contact with very serious players in the drugs business in Dublin and bringing it down to Galway and we don’t need it and the young addicts here don’t need it.”

He nodded in agreement.

Judge Fahy sentenced Maughan to six months in prison for the offence at the bus station and she imposed a consecutive two-month sentence for the drug dealing offence a month earlier.

A further one-month consecutive sentence was imposed for one of the shop lifting offences, bringing the total time to be served to nine months.

Leave to appeal the sentences was granted.