Navan man up on €5,000 drugs possession charges avoids prison

A NAVAN man seen coming out of a shed where gardai later found €5,000 worth of drugs was spared jail at Trim Circuit Court.

Twenty-seven-year-old father-of-two David Joyce of River Mill, Navan pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for the purpose of sale or supply on 1st December 2020 at Parnell Park, Navan.

Garda Joe Lyons told prosecuting counsel Carl Hanahoe BL, that gardai who had gone to search a premises in Parnell Park that day saw the defendant exiting a shed at the rear and throwing a mobile phone over the wall.

When Joyce was searched he had some cannabis herb on him while a black holdall bag was found in the shed.

The bag contained cocaine with a street value of €4,245 and cannabis valued at €1,262 as well as weighing scales and deal bags.

When questioned about the find the defendant replied: “I take responsibility for what I was aware was in the bag”.

The defendant initially told gardai the drugs were for his own use.

Gardai quickly recovered the mobile phone as Joyce had left the flashlight on from looking in the shed and the device was found to contain text messages consistent with drug dealing.

Following a four week adjournment for reports and urinalysis Judge Martina Baxter described Joyce's claim that the drugs were for his own use as “not credible” and “an aggravating factor”.

The judge said she accepted the defendant was genuinely ashamed and imposed a suspended sentence of two-and-a-half years.

Meanwhile, a 63-year-old man who was said by his barrister Shane Kelly to have given great scientific service to the State during his working life but is now retired appeared at Trim District Court charged with dangerous and drunken driving.

James Earle, Maple Drive, Gardenrath Road, Kells was charged with the offences following an incident at Clowanstown, Dunshaughlin on 24th August 2019. The court was told that defendant had no previous convictions. He was fined €600 and disqualified from driving for two years for dangerous driving. The drink-driving charge was struck out.

Separately, a 31-year-old Polish man who was found driving while over the alcohol limit at Brannockstown, Trim in 2020 has been disqualified from driving.

Mateusz Mrugacz, 3 Inn Apartments, Rathmolyon was charged with drunken driving on 3th May 2020. Garda Diarmuid Shanahan told the court how he had stopped the defendant’s vehicle in the early hours of the morning after seeing him driving erratically. He failed a roadside breath test.

Judge Miriam Walsh was told the defendant had no previous convictions. She imposed a €400 fine and disqualified him for three years.