A FORMER Shamrock Rovers footballer who was caught carrying ecstasy for a drug dealer has been jailed for 18 months by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
John Bennett had 400 ecstasy tablets, worth £7,000, in a compartment in the lining of his coat when he was arrested on February 2nd last. About a week earlier he had been caught with 50 ecstasy tablets, the court was told by Det Garda Denis Sheehan, of Stepaside.
Defence counsel Mr Michael O'Higgins said Bennett had now learned his lesson and wanted to get on with his life after serving his sentence.
Mr O'Higgins said Bennett had previously played for Shamrock Rovers and had carried out a trial for Grim shy Town, an English league club. He had been acting as a courier for a dealer, for payment of ú100 a time, and was not a seller.
Bennett (27), of Rosemount Estate, Dublin, admitted having the ecstasy for supply.
The President of the Circuit, Court, Mr Justice Spain, back dated the sentence to February, when Bennett was arrested, and said that he would review the case on October 10th.
Det Garda Sheehan told Mr Colman Fitzgerald, prosecuting, that he was in an unmarked patrol car on Lower Rathmines Road when he saw Bennett at a bus stop. He got out of the car and told Bennett that he was searching him for drugs. Bennett ran off through traffic but was later arrested.
He first told gardai that he did not know what the tablets "with smiling faces on them" were, but in a second statement he admitted being a drug courier. He had said he was doing this because of a debt.
Bennett claimed that he did not take drugs himself, but later told his probation officer that he had abused ecstasy at "raves".