Ballyshannon man jailed on heroin charges at Dungannon Crown Court

A Ballyshannon man, who admitted having £2,500 of heroin for sale in Enniskillen, has been jailed for nine months, at Dungannon Crown Court.
28-year-old Stephen Heraty, Finner, Ballyshannon was jailed for a total of 18 months, with nine to be spent in custody and the remaining nine on licence.
Judge Melody McReynolds gave the defendant two concurrent jail sentences of two months and three months for possession of heroin and obstructing police.
The defendant, who has previous convictions for possession of drugs and theft, pleaded guilty to all three counts that happened on September 16 2014, near Enniskillen County Fermanagh.
A Prosecutor told the court that police stopped a Saab car on September 16 2014.
Officers found a bag of heroin at the passenger door where the defendant was sitting.
They also found a mobile phone and when the defendant went to get out of the car, another bag of heroin fell from his trousers.
When originally arrested, the defendant gave false information and was re-arrested and charged with obstruction.
The substance found was confirmed to be heroin with a street value of £2,500.
When questioned, the defendant said the heroin was for his own use but there were a few text messages that indicated an intent to supply heroin, the court heard.
The court heard that police accepted that the level of supply was at the lower end of the scale and was essentially to feed an addiction on behalf of the accused.
The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for possession of drugs in Northern Ireland and also had a previous record in the Republic of Ireland.
A defence counsel said a pre sentence report suggested that the vast majority of the heroin was for his own use, and any dealing was in a minimal way of sharing out the financial burden.
There had been no profit from the transaction.
The counsel said this was a classic scenario of the defendant “falling in with a wrong crowd from a young age”.