Son of drug users is now a ‘career drug dealer’

A MAN with an address in Bandon was described by a detective garda as a career drug dealer involved in drug dealing in West Cork for many years.

Detective Garda Colm O’Mahony was speaking in the case of Ivo Santos of O’Mahony Avenue, Bandon, who faced sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for his latest count of having cannabis for sale or supply.

The 34-year-old had three previous convictions for drug dealing. He was convicted 27 times for having drugs for his own use, twice for allowing his home to be used for the preparation of drugs and once for cultivating cannabis.

Now he has pleaded guilty to having €2,000 worth of cannabis for sale or supply at O’Mahony Avenue in Bandon on July 11th, 2019.

Detective Garda O’Mahony said the accused was stopped at 6pm on that date carrying a rucksack on his back. ‘When approached by gardaí he became nervous, unsettled and agitated and attempted to escape from gardaí,’ he said.

As well as the two packets containing a total of €2,000 worth of cannabis, Santos also had the broken butt of a pool cue in his bag and a mobile phone. When first interviewed he made no comment to gardaí. The detective described Santos as Irish Portuguese and living in Bandon most of his life.

‘He is a career drug dealer involved in drug dealing in West Cork for many years. He continues to be a person of interest to gardaí.’

Peter O’Flynn, defence barrister, suggested the detective was basing his opinion on the defendant’s past record rather than his present life and that he is now a changed man. Det Garda O’Mahony responded to that suggestion saying: ‘I would reject that wholeheartedly.’ Mr O’Flynn BL said: ‘His parents were drug users and were tolerant of him smoking cannabis and all of his peers in Bandon smoked cannabis. He has changed himself in the last number of years.’

However the detective rejected this.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court that there was clearly a difference of opinion between the prosecution and the defence on the question of whether the defendant had put his past behind him or not.

Rather than finalising the case, the judge said he would adjourn sentencing until September 20th to give the accused an opportunity to have regular urinalysis. Ivo Santos was remanded on bail for the next three months.