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Latest > Man arrested in €837,000 Heroin deal
May 29th, 2017
Man arrested in €837,000 Heroin deal
Claims he needed the money to pay his golf club fees
Words: GolfPunk
A man who was involved in an €837,000 heroin deal told the Irish police that he got involved to make money to pay his golf club fees.
57–year–old Michael Smallhorn was to be paid €200 to act as a courier, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
Smallhorn pleaded guilty to aiding another person at Limekiln Lane, Greenhills, Dublin in the commission of an offence of possession for sale or supply of drugs on February 4, 2016.
Detective Garda Suzanne Lyons from the Garda National Drugs Unit said that at the time, Gardai were acting on confidential information regarding Smallhorn.
They stopped him in his car and found he had 13 street deals of heroin in the car. Dt Gda Lyons said these drugs had an estimated street value of €338.
A search of a Citroen car parked on the lane around the corner recovered 5.9 kilos of heroin, believed to have a street value in the region of €837,000.
After his arrest, Smallhorn told gardai that he was paid by an unidentified man to leave the keys for the Citroen on the wheel.
The man told him to go and have a cup of tea and in the meantime someone was going to come to the car, pop the boot and take something from it. He was told he would be paid €200 for this but he never got this money.
He said he wanted the money to pay his golf fees. Judge Pauline Codd said: "I'm having difficulty assessing his motivation in getting involved."
Breffni Gordon SC, defending, said that Smallhorn had a lack of understanding and no clear idea of the magnitude of his involvement in the offence.
When shown the amount of drugs found in the Citroen, Smallhorn told detectives: "If I'd have known it was that much I'd never have gone near it."
Judge Codd said she had to balance Smallhorn's minor role in the operation with the quantity of drugs involved. She suspended a sentence of five years on condition he keep the peace and take part in victim awareness programme.
Smallhorn said he knew the person who asked him to take part in the operation through his local pub and he was in fear of him because he was aware of his reputation.
His 12 previous convictions, dating to 1980, include convictions for drunk driving in 2006 and forgery in 1998.
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