A man who was caught with €4.8m worth of heroin in 2007 has had the remaining half of his ten-year jail term suspended at his sentence review.
William Byrne (29) was sentenced by Judge Katherine Delahunt in February 2009 to ten years in prison after she heard evidence that he accepted responsibility for the haul.
She put in place a five-year sentence review having taken into account his serious drug addiction at the time.
Judge Mary Ellen Ring had released Byrne on bail into the custody of his parents at Cushlawn Park, in Tallaght at the initial sentence review hearing last January to allow a probation report be prepared.
She suspended the final five years of the sentence for five years on strict conditions including that he remains drug free and cooperates with the Probation Service.
Byrne had pleaded guilty at his sentencing in 2009 to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at his then rented home on January 12, 2007. He has three previous convictions which include a 12 month suspended sentence for drug dealing.
Detective Garda Michael Ormonde told Fiona Murphy BL, at the initial sentence review hearing in January that gardaí raided Byrne’s then rented home in January 2007 where they discovered 25kgs of heroin in two sports bag in a kitchen.
Byrne was in the sitting room with his co-accused, Thomas Kennedy (35) formerly of Westbourne Park, Clondalkin, along with keys that opened the bags.
Kennedy received a ten year sentence in March 2008 after he pleaded guilty to the possession of heroin for sale or supply.
Byrne was arrested and later admitted that he knew there was heroin in the bags but claimed that someone else had brought them to his home.
Det Gda Ormonde agreed with Ms Murphy that Byrne was a serious drug addict at the time and there was evidence of drug use in his home.
Aileen Donnelly SC, defending, told Judge Ring that Judge Delahunt had placed emphasis on Byrne’s addiction when she sentenced him which was why the review formed part of her ruling.
She said Byrne has since made efforts to deal with his addiction and has completed two charity runs in prison.
