WATERFORD DRUG-DEALER SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS' JAIL

A man known to gardai as one of the biggest drug-suppliers in the
south-east was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Waterford Circuit Court
yesterday.

Anthony McEnery (31), of Canada Square, Waterford, was convicted at his
trial last month by a jury on four counts of possessing drugs for sale and
supply and was returned to court for sentencing yesterday before Judge Pat
McCartan.

In his defence, McEnery had alleged that gardai had planted drugs in his
house during a two-hour search of his premises on August 9th, 1996, during
which cannabis, amphetamine, ecstasy and cocaine, with a street value of
IEP8,500, was found. The accusation was condemned by the judge, who said
that this was blatantly done to bamboozle and confuse the jury and free
himself from the hold that the hand of justice had on him.

Mr Niall Durkin SC, for the accused, said his client had caused great
distress to his family, particularly his mother, who suffered from a heart
condition and depended heavily upon her son. He now lived with his
girlfriend, who was expecting their first child in six months' time. Mr
Durkan said this was not a massive amount of drugs compared with the sum of
the hauls which had been seized in recent times.

However, Judge McCartan said the quantity, 25 tablets of ecstasy, 18g of
cannabis resin, 3.2g of amphetamine and 43.5g of cocaine, was irrelevant to
some extent and what was more significant was his substantial and committed
involvement in the supply of drugs. The amounts were, he said, a
consequence of the moment when the gardai chose to strike, but it was clear
that McEnery had all the hallmarks of someone actively engaged in the
retailing of drugs.

"We've heard that Waterford city has a serious drugs problem, and you are a
major contributor to that problem," he told McEnery. "We've also heard that
you are a tradesman and while I am impressed that you have returned to
work, this also tells another story. You had no need to engage yourself in
the sale of drugs and your only motive was your own greed, showing total
disregard for the lives of young people you sold drugs to."

The judge sentenced McEnery to four jail terms, all to run concurrently.
The longest sentence of 12 years was for the possession, sale and supply of
cocaine. He received eight years for the ecstasy offence, six for cannabis
and six for amphetamine. The judge refused a plea to have some of the
sentence suspended and said it was the minimum he felt the court could
impose in such a case.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski