A MAN who stored cocaine, heroin, and cannabis in Kinder chocolate egg shells before selling them on the street has been jailed for four years with the final six months suspended.
Owen Treacy Jnr (28), of St Ita’s Street, St Mary’s Park, waved to loved ones in court as he was led away to prison.
Mr Treacy, who pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing drugs for sale or supply, had earlier appeared unfazed at the sentence, as he sat in the dock at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
The father of two – who had 139 previous convictions – admitted selling or supplying others with almost €5,000 worth of drugs from a vacant house near his own home in 2019.
The drugs were stored inside Kinder chocolate plastic eggshells and hidden under roof tiles at a derelict property in the St Mary’s Park estate, the court heard.
Treacy’s barrister, Marc Thompson Grolimund, told the court the defendant’s sister, Stephanie Treacy (31), was previously jailed for two years for the same offences.
Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by Limerick City State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, assisted by Garda Sergeant Paul Bentley, said when drug users would arrive at the vacant house, Mr Treacy would climb on top of its roof via a ladder and fetch the already made-up drug deals.
Mr O’Sullivan said Mr Treacy, who had 139 previous convictions, mostly for road traffic offences, but none under the Misuse of Drugs Act, was involved in “organised and systematic drug dealing” in the Limerick housing estate.
The court heard that Gardaí set in train a covert long-term surveillance of Treacy and others involved in supplying drugs from the estate before swooping on his residence and arresting him.
“Gardaí observed the accused, his sister Stephanie, who has been before the courts, and associates access the roofs of St Munchin’s Street, between July 18 and August 2, 2019. They were placing and removing objects under roof tiles,” said Mr O’Sullivan.
On August 2, 2019, Gardaí raided three properties at St Munchin’s Street, as well as Treacy’s home at St Ita’s Street, where they seized more than €32,000 in cash and cheques, as well as more than 100 drug deals that were ready for distribution.
Owen Treacy had no legitimate source of income, the court heard.
Mr O’Sullivan said Gardaí recovered €567 in coins, which he submitted was from drug users money-tapping on the streets in order to fund their habits.
Garda forensics found DNA traces of the two Treacy siblings on the plastic drug wraps.
Treacy’s barrister said it was accepted the defendant was a drug dealer, but the barrister argued that Treacy was being painted as a drugs “kingpin” when his drug dealing was “not a sophisticated operation”.
“The valuation of drugs is at the lower end. The importation of millions of euros worth of drugs comes before this court. He made no attempt to conceal his identity and his DNA was found,” said Mr Thompson Grolimund.
The sentencing judge, Colin Daly, said Gardaí carried out a “complex surveillance operation” which targeted Treacy, who the judge said was responsible for a significant drug dealing operation in his own community, describing it as “an egregious occupation”.
The judge said the fact that Treacy made no attempt to conceal the operation or to take counter forensic measures, did not imply a lack of sophistication, “rather, it indicates a brazen attitude”.
