A 58-YEAR-OLD Limerick woman appeared before a special weekend court sitting charged with possession of almost €100,000 worth of cocaine for sale or supply, following a planned Garda operation targeting drug dealing.
Joanne Braddish appeared before Ennis District Court on Saturday, charged with possession of €96,040 worth of cocaine, for sale or supply to others, contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Ms Braddish, with an address at St Brendan’s Street, St Mary’s Park, Limerick City, was also charged with simple possession of cocaine, contrary to Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Gardaí arrested Ms Braddish at her home at 7.05pm last Thursday (August 1) and brought her to Henry Street Garda Station, where she was charged with the two drugs offences at 7.30pm last Friday (August 2).
Ms Braddish made no reply to either charge, charge sheets stated.
Solicitor Tara Godfrey, acting for Ms Braddish, told the court that the prosecution, led by Garda Inspector Gearóid Thompson, of Bruff Garda Station, had no objection to bail with strict conditions.
Ms Godfrey told the court that “Ms Braddish has survived cancer and she is not working, she is on disability (allowance)”.
Ms Braddish signed a bail bond, agreeing to reside only at her home address at St Brendan’s Street; to provide a working telephone number to Gardaí so she could be reached by them at any time; and to sign on at a named Garda station, between the hours of 10am and 6pm, three times a week.
As part of her bail conditions Ms Braddish also agreed to surrender her passport and not apply for any new travel documents.
Inspector Thompson asked the court to remand the case to Limerick District Court.
Judge Fiona Brennan granted the State’s application and remanded Ms Braddish on bail, on her own bond of €200, cash not to be lodged, to appear before Limerick District Court on September 4, for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In court, Ms Braddish spoke only to confirm she had signed the bail bond.
A man in his 30s, who was arrested last Wednesday, as part of the same Garda investigation, codenamed Operation Tara, a national anti-drugs strategy by An Garda Síochána tackling street-level drug dealing across the country, appeared before Nenagh District Court on Friday August 2.
A second man, aged in his late teens, who was arrested on Friday as part of the same probe, was released without charge and a file was sent to the Garda Youth Diversion Office.
Gardaí seized a total of almost half a million euro worth of drugs, including cocaine, cannabis, and heroin, along with €250,000 in cash, as part of the planned operation on July 31 and August 1.
The Garda investigation led by Mayorstone Park Garda Station, Limerick, and supported by the Garda Armed Support Unit (ASU) and Garda Dog Unit, is continuing.
