A city man, who was handed 151 tablets covertly by his mother as he sat in Garda custody last year, failed to convince a judge that these were for his own use at Galway District Court.

Judge Mary Fahy commended the diligent work of a Garda, who was on prison escort duty at the time, for becoming suspicious of the package handed to the defendant by his mother in the cell area of the courthouse.

“Passing of drugs between families and prisoners is causing on-going disruption – they are never going to be rehabilitated, and the families are doing them no favours,” she said.

Michael ‘Sonny’ Barrett (26) denied having the diazepam (valium), alprazolam, and clonazepam for sale or supply in the cell area of the courthouse on December 4 2013. He is currently serving a five-year sentence at Castlerea Prison.

Garda Raymond O’Dowd told the court that he became aware during the preceding court appearance that people were trying to make contact with Barrett.

“After the case, I took him to the cell area, and his mother requested a visit,” he recalled.

“I supervised it; she wanted to give him some items – a cigarette, a newspaper, a pack of Amber Leaf tobacco, and a lighter.”

The Garda’s suspicions were heightened during the interaction, however, and he took the latter two items from the prisoner.

On closer examination, he noticed that the seal on the packet of tobacco had been tampered with, and cellotape used instead.

Inside it, he found three separate packages of various tablets – 64 blue ones, 61 pink ones, and 26 orange tablets – all ‘controlled drugs’ under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Garda O’Dowd said that Barrett claimed that his mother knew nothing about the drugs, that they had been sent in from “Frank”, and were all for his own use.

Solicitor for the defendant, Olivia Traynor, put it to the court that if it were to be accepted that these were for Barrett alone, he could not be prosecuted, and she requested that the matter be struck out.

However, Judge Fahy did not believe the story and said that, considering the huge number of tablets involved, Barrett had a case to answer.

The defendant reiterated that the tablets were for his own use, and that he had been consuming 15 tablets per day. He claimed that his head had been “wrecked from all the courts” at the time, but that he had since given up drugs and smoking.

“That didn’t even occur in my mind,” he said of the State’s claim that he had planned to sell the drugs to fellow prisoners in Castlerea Prison.

“What’s the point selling them in prison… I swore on the Bible. I’m a Traveller, I’m very Catholic.”

However, Judge Fahy did not accept Barrett’s evidence, remarking how shocked she was that this would occur after court proceedings.

Inspector Derek Gannon advised the court that the defendant was currently serving a five year sentence for robbery and assault, imposed at Galway Circuit Court last July.

Owing to the serious nature of the charge before her, Judge Fahy said that she had no other option but to add to that sentence.

“I normally wouldn’t, but for something to be passed in a courtroom situation is shocking, and has to be marked by a custodial sentence,” she said.

A nine month prison term was imposed, to be served on the lawful termination f the sentence currently being served.

Recognisances were fixed, in the event of an appeal, on his own surety of €500, and an independent surety of €1,000, half to be lodged by a party approved by the State.