A Dublin man has been jailed for 18 years for transporting €6.4 million worth of heroin in his van.
Michael Byrne (36), of Old Tower, Clondalkin, was found guilty by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court of possessing 32 kilograms of heroin in the Culmore Road area of Palmerstown on January 15th, 2008 following a six day trial last month.
Judge Frank O’Donnell described the father-of-five as a “drug baron” who was “no small fry in the (drugs) industry”.
He said Byrne gave a “calculated and well-rehearsed performance” in the witness box during his trial, shedding tears while claiming that, as a father, he understood the ill effects of drugs on young people.
Judge O’Donnell said Byrne feigned concern for his children and described it as “a performance Laurence Olivier would have been proud of”. However, he said it was perhaps “a tear too far” for the jury.
He said Byrne fought and contested every issue in his case as every accused is entitled to do but this left little room for sympathy.
Judge O’Donnell said the sympathy he felt for Byrne’s family was tempered with the sympathy he had for the victims of drug abuse, for the mothers standing at the back of court “craning their necks” to see what sentence their drug-addicted son will get.
He said these “sons” may be as young as Byrne’s daughter and the elderly people they beat to “a pulp” to get money for drugs may be as old as Byrne’s parents.
He said there were no special circumstances in the case to exempt Byrne from the 10 years mandatory minimum sentence. He said the fact the offence happened on the day of his brother’s funeral and the next day suggested Byrne took a “business as usual approach” to his activities.
The judge noted that the one positive element in Byrne’s case was that his counsel didn’t attempt to “ameliorate” his position after conviction.
Judge O’Donnell complimented the gardaí on their work in the case and said he was going to “send out a message” with the 18-year sentence.
Byrne has 19 previous convictions including assaulting gardaí, larceny and handling stolen property.