Student ‘really stupid’ to import €10,000 of ecstasy, says judge
A JUDGE has struck out a drugs charge against a 25-year old college student who imported more than €10,000 worth of ecstasy through the post after watching a tutorial on YouTube on how to get illegal drugs through the ‘dark web’.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan struck out the charge after Jack McInerney, of Dough, Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, paid €5,000 to the Court Discretionary Fund (CDF).
Judge Durcan told Mr McInerney: “You made a stupid decision and the only redeemable factor in this case was the decision was so stupid, really stupid.”
The judge told Mr McInerney he had decided to punish him in the pocket.
He said the €5,000 would be applied to a charitable cause.
“You are going to enjoy further enhancement in your chosen career,” Judge Durcan told Mr McInerney, adding: “Don’t ever come back before me again.”
The judge said as a result of striking out the charge, there would be no record against Mr McInerney.
At a previous hearing into the case, Sergeant Aiden Lonergan said that Mr McInerney got involved in drugs “after he heard a few lads in college talking about it and he watched a tutorial video on YouTube on how to buy drugs on the ‘dark web’”.
He said Mr McInerney “decided that he would try it and make a bit of money”.
Sgt Lonergan said Mr McInerney had spent €4,000 on purchasing the drugs and had used an address of a friend of a friend for the postage of the drugs.
Sgt Lonergan said two separate packages containing a total of 175g of MDMA – also known as ecstasy – were detected.
Mr McInerney had pleaded guilty to possession of the MDMA with intent to sell or supply in April 2018.
Previously, Judge Durcan said he would be striking out the charge when the €5,000 was paid. He said he accepted Mr McInerney “is not a criminal and has not been involved with criminals”.
Judge Durcan said Mr McInerney’s actions were “not part of a criminal conspiracy to import drugs”.
Judge Durcan accepted that Mr McInerney developed a drug habit “and pursued that and an easy way of dealing with that was getting cash by running a little mini-mart for his friends”.
The judge also said Mr McInerney had no previous convictions and was totally co-operative with gardaí.
Solicitor for Mr McInerney, Jim Finnegan, said his client “has redeemed as much as a human being can”.
“He has shown full remorse in this matter,” Mr Finnegan said.
“I think he will be a good and upstanding member of society if he is given the chance.”
The court was told previously that Mr McInerney is studying for a Higher Diploma in Financial Analysis in Galway and intends to do a masters in Financial Services in Limerick this year.
He watched a YouTube video on how to buy drugs on the ‘dark web’