Man had cocaine worth €2,000

THE drug dealing of a 33-year-old man caught with almost €2,000 worth of cocaine was confined to a small number of personal friends, the District Court was told by defence solicitor.

A garda search was carried out under warrant at the 12 Chambersland Close home of accused Jonathan Daly in New Ross on April 14 last year.

Officers discovered 27.9 grams of a white powder along with paraphernalia that included scales and a tick list along with €500 in cash.

Also seized was a black flash light, which turned out to be a stun gun for which Daly had no licence.

Solicitor Colette Culleton told the court that the defendant had been attempting to pay back a social welfare debt and that he was going through a bad time. She assured Judge John Cheatle that Daly had never used the stun gun and did not even know if it was in working order.

The judge responded that the drugs charge was a serious one and he suggested that the accused should carry out 120 hours community service in lieu of five months in prison.