A man who told gardai he could do 10 years "standing on his head" has been jailed for six years for possession of £1.25 million of ecstasy tablets and cocaine.
Graham Whelan (18),of Clonard Road, Drimnagh, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of £500,000 worth of ecstasy tablets and up to £750,000 of cocaine on March 3rd, 2000, at the Holiday Inn on Pearse Street in Dublin.
Judge Elizabeth Dunne said Whelan was 17 at the time and influenced by older, more hardened criminals. She said that while the legislation provided for a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence for more than £10,000 worth of drugs, the court could have regard to certain matters, including a guilty plea, degree of co-operation with gardai, previous good character and age. Whelan had failed to co-operate with gardai.
Sgt Seamus Boland of Pearse Street Garda Station, told the court Whelan told gardai he could do "10 years standing on his head".
Whelan is serving a sentence for an assault he committed while on bail last year. Judge Dunne instructed that this latest sentence start on completion of his current term in October.