A man received a suspended sentence for drug possession offences at Waterford District Court recently.
Helton Martins Cardoso, of Lodge 4, Arlington Lodge Suites, Johns Hill, Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle in relation to charges of being in possession of cocaine, contrary to Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, and for possessing it for the purpose of supplying it to others, contrary to Section 15 of the same act, relating to a search of his residence by Gardaí on 3 August, 2024.
The court heard that on that date, Gardaí executed a search warrant of the accused’s residence in John’s Hill, where they discovered 14 bags of cocaine to the value of €1200. The accused was subsequently arrested and when questioned by Gardaí, admitted to possession of the drugs.
It is understood that the accused has 12 previous convictions, and is currently serving out a suspended sentence hanging over him for an unrelated matter from July 2025.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that at the time, the accused had lost his job, and was “fully cooperative” with Gardaí when he was questioned. Mr Cunningham highlighted that his client has no previous convictions for drug offences, and is currently seeking employment.
Judge Cheatle handed down a five month sentence to be suspended for 12 months for the Section 15 charge, and took the remaining charge into consideration.
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