Man jailed for possession of 'dangerous' drugs cocktail
Gardai raided a house in Cork to find a consignment of cocaine mixed with the performance-enhancing drug ephedrine – the first time that the drugs were ever found in that combination.
Detective Garda Vincent O’Sullivan said that €75,000 worth of the drugs were found mixed half and half in a house in Templeacre Avenue, Gurranabraher, Cork.
Gary Hayes (aged 29) of that address was sentenced to six years in prison this evening at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for having the drugs.
Ephedrine is a banned drug which can be used to enhance the performance both of racehorses and atheletes.
Gardai were particularly concerned about the stash of drugs they found in Templeacre Avenue last August 27 as it was the first time they ever found drugs in that combination anywhere within the state.
The dangerous combination of the two drugs was apparently giving users a bigger hit than
they would normally get when cocaine is mixed with a harmless powder.
Hayes claimed that he was being paid €6,000 to hold on to the stash of drugs. He said he would receive instructions from and un-named party to leave specified quantities drugs in various locations.
He said he had been paid 1,500 before gardai raided the house where he was staying.
Hayes has 98 previous convictions, including a lot of burglary convictions but he was not in trouble in relation to drugs before.
Judge Patrick J Moran was told that Hayes was out on bail awaiting trial on other offences when he was caught with the drugs.
Various other paraphernalia associated with the drugs business were also found in the house.
Judge Moran asked Det Garda O’Sullivan if he believed the defendant’s claim to be working for other people. The detective said he did not believe him.
Judge Moran took the plea of guilty into consideration when he imposed the six-year sentence on Hayes.
He said to Hayes: “I’m not sure what your involvement in the drugs business was, whether you were holding the drugs for someone else or a drug dealer.”
